No Greater Love
by 7thheavengirl08
Summary: When one of the guys from Station 51 is seriously injured in a fire, how do the rest of the guys cope? Will he make it? Chapter 7 extended & chapter 8 now up! FINISHED! Warning: DEATH OF A MAJOR CHARACTER!
1. The Fire

A/N: This is my first Emergency! fanfic, so please be kind! I will do my best to get new chapters up quickly. I really enjoy getting reviews onmy stories, especially if they contain advice or suggestions.

Disclaimer: I do not own Emergency! or any of it's characters. I do, however, own this story, so please don't steal it!!

* * *

As Johnny pulled into the parking lot of Station 51, he glanced at his clock. He sighed with relief. For once, he was actually early. In fact, he had five minutes left before role call, plenty of time to get changed and talk with the guys. He looked around the parking lot. Mike, Marco, and Captain Stanley were already there. Chet wasn't there yet, which meant that Johnny could open his locker without having to worry about a water bomb.

As Johnny turned to go inside, Roy pulled up and parked beside Johnny's Rover. He got out and called, "Hey, Johnny!"

"Hey, Roy! How was your vacation?" Johnny asked. Today was Roy's first shift back after a week's vacation.

"It was pretty good. Joanne and I took the kids to the beach almost every day." Roy didn't sound too thrilled about the beach.

"Oh, yeah?" Johnny grinned. "I bet they loved that. I'm sure Joanne did, too. What about you, Pally? Did you have fun at the beach?" Johnny already knew what the answer would be.

"Well, if I had been able to just lie on the beach and relax, it would have been fine. Instead, Chris and Jenny made me go into the ocean with them. That wouldn't have been too bad except for the fact that they decided it would be fun to try to drown me. Chris swam under water, grabbed my legs, and pulled while Jenny came up behind me and pushed on my shoulders. They dunked me and I got soaked! Joanne just laughed when I told her to do something about her kids."

Johnny laughed. He knew that Roy secretly enjoyed playing with the kids in the ocean, but would never admit it. It would take away from Chris and Jen's fun. Johnny also knew that the kids wouldn't have been able to dunk Roy if he really hadn't wanted to be dunked.

Roy looked at Johnny with faked disgust. "Well, I'm glad you think it's funny. I sure didn't."

Johnny stopped laughing. "Sorry, Roy. I just thought it funny when I pictured Chris and Jenny dunking you in the ocean. Come on, let's go get changed before Chet gets here. I really don't feel like dealing with one of his water bombs this morning." Together, Johnny and Roy walked inside the station.

They had just finished getting changed and were getting ready to head out to the engine bay for role call when Chet came running into the locker room. "Oh, man, I'm going to be late!" Chet moaned.

Johnny cheered. "Yes! No latrine duty for me today!" With that, he bounded out the door and into the engine bay.

"The Phantom will here about this, Gage!" Chet yelled after him.

Mike peeked into the locker room. "Roy, Chet, time for role call."

"Oh, no!" Chet moaned. "I haven't even gotten changed yet! I'm going to be late for sure now!"

As Roy walked into the engine bay, he could still hear Chet in the locker room, slamming things around in an effort not to be late.

Chet slid into his place in line right as Cap started roll call. "Glad you join us, Kelly." Cap said.

"Sorry, Cap." Chet replied.

"Okay, Michael, you've got the engine bay. Roy, John, hang the hoses. Marco, you have the dorms, and Chet-"

Cap was cut off by Chet. "I know, I know, Cap. I've got latrine duty."

"You got it. I'm cooking today."

"What are you going to make, Cap?" Roy asked.

"Clam Chowder. Why?"

"Can you make extra? Dr. Early has been bugging us for some of your clam chowder. He loves that stuff, you know."

"You've got it, Pal. I'll set some aside in a thermos for you to take to him."

"Thanks, Cap."

Before any of them had time to begin their duties, the klaxons sounded. "Station 51, man trapped, 2154 Vista Avenue, 2-1-5-4 Vista Avenue, cross street Fairview, time out 635."

"Station 51, 10-4, KMG 365." Cap responded. He handed the address to Roy, and then ran around to get in the engine.

When they reached the scene, they were met by a young woman who couldn't have been older than 30. "I'm so glad you guys are here. It's my Dad; he's trapped in the living room."

"How is he trapped, Ma'am?" Captain Stanley wanted to know.

"Well, he was trying to reach something on the top shelf of our bookcase, so he climbed on one of the shelves and it fell on him. He's pinned pretty good. Mom and I tried to lift it, but it was too heavy." She led them into the house and showed them where her father was.

When her mother saw them, she jumped up from where she had been kneeling beside her husband. "Oh, thank goodness you're here! H's unconscious! Hurry, please get that bookcase of him!" She cried.

"We will, Ma'am, but we're going to need you to watch out of the way. We don't want you getting hurt, too, okay?" Captain Stanley led her to a place where he knew she would be out of the way and wouldn't interfere with the rescue. When he got back to his men, he quickly assessed the situation. There were books everywhere, and the bookcase, which was solid oak, had to way at least 200 pounds. The man was trapped from the chest down. The only part of him that was visible was his head. Roy and Johnny were kneeling next to him, trying to take his vitals as best they could.

"Roy, John. How's he doing?" Captain Stanley asked.

Roy stood up and walked over to Cap. "He's not doing so good, Cap. His pulse is weak and thready, and his respirations are shallow. I'm concerned that he might have a chest injury." Roy said softly.

Cap and Roy walked back over to the bookshelf. "Mike, Chet, why don't you get on the left side of the bookcase. Marco and I will take this side. Roy, John, pull him out as soon as we have the shelf lifted high enough."

The men got into position. "Okay, fellas, on the count of three, lift. One, two, three, lift!" They were able to lift the bookcase up just high enough to slide the man out, and then they set it back down.

As soon as their patient was safely away from the bookcase, Roy and Johnny went to work. While they got the vitals and assessed his condition, Captain Stanley set up the biophone. He then took the man's wife aside and questioned her about how the accident had happened. While he was doing that, Johnny called into Rampart. "Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

Dr. Kelly Brackett's voice came over the phone. "We read you loud and clear, 51. Go ahead."

"We have a male, approximate age 60 years old, trapped under a fallen bookshelf for approximately…"

"20 minutes." The man's daughter filled in.

"For approximately 20 minutes. His vitals are as follows: pulse 70, BP 90/60, respirations 10 and shallow, pupils equal and reactive. Diminished breath sounds in right lung; also, it appears that patient has multiple fractured ribs on both sides, as well as a fracture of his right arm. Patient is unconscious."

"10-4, 51. Administer IV D5W; immobilize right arm, spine, and neck. Transport as soon as possible."

"10-4, Rampart. IV D5W, immobilize right arm, spine, and neck, and transport. Ambulance has just arrived, approximate ETA 10 minutes."

Once their patient was loaded into the ambulance, Johnny got into the back with him. The patient's wife started to follow, but Roy stopped her. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but if you want to ride with him you're going to have to ride up front."

The wife agreed, and after she'd gotten in the front, Roy closed the ambulance doors and thumped on the back to let the driver know it was all clear. He then got in the squad and followed the ambulance to Rampart while Cap and the others stayed to clean up.

When the ambulance and squad reached Rampart, Roy jumped out of the squad and rushed to the back of the ambulance to help unload the patient. Once the patient was out of the ambulance, they pushed him into Rampart, where they were met by Dixie and Dr. Brackett, who directed them to Treatment Room 3.

"Has he regained consciousness at all?" Brackett wanted to know, as he checked the patient's pupils.

"He started to stir a little in the ambulance. That was right before he went into respiratory distress. He hasn't made any signs of regaining consciousness since I put in the airway like you ordered." Johnny replied.

"Dixie, get me X-Ray down here stat. Also, see if there's an operating room available. This arm is going to need surgery, and I suspect the he has a punctured lung." Brackett ordered.

Dixie hurried off to do as ordered. As Johnny and Roy stood watching Brackett work, a voice came over the handi-talkie. "Squad 51, what is your status?"

"DO you need us anymore, Doc?" Johnny asked.

"No, go ahead. I'll see you guys later."

Johnny raised the handi-talkie to his mouth. "Squad 51, available from Rampart."

As Roy and Johnny walked out of the treatment room and started for the squad, they heard the tones "Station 36, Station 51, Station 42, Station 110, Station 8, Battalion 14, Engine 18, Engine 26, Ladder 16...structure fire…214 Canyon Avenue…2-1-4 Canyon Avenue…Time out 820."

"Squad 51, 10-4." Johnny replied. He then turned to Roy. "Sounds like a big one." he said worriedly.

"Yeah, it does. Come on, let's get going." Roy replied. He and Johnny jogged toward the squad and got in. They turned on the siren, and Roy pulled out of the parking lot at Rampart. When they reached the scene, they saw that a warehouse was fully engulfed in flames. Engine 51 was already on the scene, along with most of the other stations toned out to the fire. Roy and Johnny jumped out of the squad, pulled on their fire coats and air tanks, and ran over to Captain Stanley for their orders.

'Roy, John, I'm glad you're here. There are still several people trapped inside the building." Captain Stanley said when Roy and Johnny reached him.

"How many, Cap?" Roy asked.

"That's the thing, pal. They're not sure. It seems that the fire broke out in the middle of a shift change, so they don't know who left before the fire started. They think that there's still about 20 people trapped inside. I'm sending Chet and Marco in to help you. Squad 36 is heading in as well, along with a couple of guys from their engine."

"Right, Cap. Come on, Junior let's go." Roy said, fastening his air mask over his face as he ran towards the building.

"Right behind you, Pally." Johnny responded, putting on his air mask as well.

When they reached the entrance to the building, they met up with Chet and Marco. Roy instructed, "Johnny, you and Chet go to the left and Marco and I will take the right. We'll meet on the other side."

"Okay." Johnny said. He and Roy went their separate directions. "Fire Department!" Johnny called out. "Anyone in here?"

Johnny heard a cough to his right. He and Chet made his way over to where it was coming from, and found three workers huddled together. "Are any of you injured?" Johnny asked.

One of the workers nodded. "I tripped over something and cut my leg pretty badly."

"Okay. Do you think you can walk?" The worker shook his head. "Okay. I'll carry you. Let's get out of here, and then we'll have a look at your leg. How about the rest of you? Can you walk?" The other two workers nodded. "Okay, let's get out of here." He called across the room to Roy. "Roy!" When Roy turned to look at him, he continued. "We're getting these guys out of here!" Roy signaled that he understood, so Johnny picked up the injured person and he and Chet led the others safely out of the building.

When they got outside, they took the victims over to where Squad 110 had set up triage. "This guy here cut his leg pretty bad and has some smoke inhalation." Johnny said, setting down the guy he'd carried. "The other two have smoke inhalation too, but other than that they're okay."

When he had finished filling the paramedics in, Johnny and Chet reentered the warehouse. "Man," coughed Chet. "I think it's gotten worse in here!"

Johnny started to respond, but then saw Roy and Marco heading toward them. Marco was carrying someone, and Roy was supporting someone else as they walked. Chet rushed to help Roy. "Here, I've got him. Why don't you and Johnny go search for other victims?"

Roy handed his victim over to Chet and then motioned to Johnny to follow him. As they worked their way back to where Roy and Marco had found the other victims, Captain Stanley's voice came over the handi-talkie. "Squad 51, this is Engine 51. We're keeping Chet and Marco out here. We need them on the lines."

"10-4, Engine 51." Roy responded. He then turned to Johnny. "DO you want to split up or stay together?" he asked.

"Let's stay together." Johnny replied. He looked up at the ceiling, from which periodic creaking noises had been coming from. "I don't think it'd be a good idea for us to go separate ways now."

Roy agreed. "I don't like the looks of this place. It looks and sounds like it could come down at any minute. Come on, let's get going. The sooner we find the missing people the sooner we can get out of here."

"Squad 51, this is Engine 51." Captain Stanley's voice came over the handi-talkie. "How's it going in there?"

"With the five guys that we found and the four guys that 36 found, we still have an estimated eleven people to find." Johnny replied.

"10-4, Squad 51."

Roy and Johnny had just resumed their search when Roy held up his hand. "Shh, did hear that?"

Johnny listened. After a minute or so, he heard what sounded like a groan, very faintly. "It sounds like it's coming from over there," Johnny replied. He and Roy made their way over to where they thought the sound was coming from, but there was no one there. "Maybe this isn't the right spot," said Johnny, confused. He was sure the sound had been coming from this spot."

Roy and Johnny listened again. This time it sounded like the groan was coming from a few feet away. They once again moved to where they thought it was coming from, and once again, they found nothing. Roy had just started to say, "Maybe something else is making that sound." when the building started to creak.

"Squad 51, this is Engine 51. Get out of there now! The building's coming down! Repeat, evacuate now!" Captain Stanley yelled over the handi-talkie.

Roy and Johnny had just started to head towards the exit when they heard a very loud creaking noise coming from right above them. They looked up just in time to see a huge beam fall from the ceiling, right towards them. "Roy! Johnny called, "Move!" Roy stood still, as if he were glued to the floor. Johnny pushed him down to the floor, covering Roy's body with his own, seconds before the beam fell.

Those outside the building could only watch in horror as the building collapsed. Chief McConikee ran over to Engine 51. "Did your paramedics make it out?" he asked. "Everyone else is accounted for."

Captain Stanley slowly shook his head. "No, Chief, I don't think they did." He raised the handi-talkie to his mouth. "Squad 51, this is engine 51. Where are you?" When he received no response, he tried again. "Squad 51, this is Engine 51. Roy, Johnny, answer me!" He practically screamed.

At Rampart, Nurse Dixie McCall had been sitting at the nurses' station doing paperwork, when she heard Captain Stanley's call to dispatch.

"This is Engine 51. We have two possible code I's at our location. Please send additional engine crews."

"10-4, Engine 51. The additional crews are on their way."

"10-4"

Dixie rushed over to the phone and called Dispatch. "This is Dixie McCall, from Rampart Emergency. Could you tell me who the two code Is are?"

"Firefighter Paramedic Roy DeSoto and Firefighter Paramedic John Gage." was the response.

"Thank you." Dixie managed to get out before tears started running down her face.

Kelly Brackett and Joe Early rounded the corner just as she hung up the phone. Since her back was to them, they couldn't see the tears running down her face. "Hey, Dix. Who were you calling?" Joe asked. "Some hot guy?"

Dixie turned around, and Kel and Joe saw the tears on her face. "Dix, what's wrong?" Kel asked, concerned.

"Roy and Johnny were at the warehouse fire. The building collapsed, and, as far as IK can tell, they were still inside. Captain Stanley made a call to dispatch saying there were two possible code 'Is, and when I called to find out who they were, they said it was Johnny and Roy."

Kel held Dixie in his arms, comforting her. He and Joe exchanged looks over Dixie's head. They had seen the warehouse fire on the news, and knew it was a bad one. They also knew that if Roy and Johnny were trapped inside they had little chance of making it, even if they weren't injured.

Inside the warehouse, the handi-talkie, lying on the floor beside where the beams had fallen, crackled to life with each try by Captain Stanley to reach his paramedics. It stayed unanswered.


	2. The Rescue

A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thanks so much for all the great reviews. I hope you'll read and review this chapter as well. Please note that I have almost no knowledge of medical stuff, so there may be mistakes in the pulse, bp, etc. SInce I got so many great reviews on this story, and none on the second chapter of my MASH story, I'm putting MASH on hold for a little while.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

Mike had been the only member of Station 51's crew to overhear that Roy and Johnny were missing, as Chet and Marco were still fighting the fire. Two other firefighters had just relieved them, though, so they came back to the engine. When they got there, they saw the looks on Cap, McConikee, and Mike's faces and immediately knew that something was up. "Hey Mike, what's going on?" Marco asked. He looked around. "Where are Johnny and Roy?"

"That's just it, Marco. We don't know where they are. They didn't get out in time. They were still in there when the building collapsed.

"Madre de Dios," breathed Marco, staring at the collapsed warehouse. "Could anyone have survived that?" he asked, not really expecting, or wanting, an answer.

"What about the handi-talkie? Aren't they answering that?" Chet asked.

Captain Stanley had come over in time to hear Chet's question. "They're not answering the handi-talkie, Chet. I've tried several times to raise them, but I don't get any answer."

Chief McConikee had gone to check on the status of the fire. When he came back, he had encouraging news. "The fire is finally out. Captain Stanley, we're sending in a crew now to look for Roy and Johnny."

"My men and I want to be a part of that crew, Chief." Captain Stanley informed him. He hadn't asked the guys, but he knew that they wouldn't want to stand around outside doing nothing when Roy and Johnny could be trapped inside.

"I figured you'd say that. Grab your equipment and go meat by the entrance." McConikee said. "Or at least where the entrance used to be." he added grimly, glancing at the collapsed warehouse.

The men wasted no time in grabbing their equipment and running towards the assigned meeting place. When they got there, the person leading the search and rescue crew, Captain Peter Delaney, asked, "Who was the last person to see Gage and DeSoto?"

Marco spoke up. "Chet and I were."

Captain Delaney focused his attention on Marco and Chet. "Do you know where they were heading to?"

"Yes. Roy and I were bringing victims to the front when we met up with Chet and Johnny. Chet and I took the victims outside while Roy and Johnny continued searching. They went back to search where Roy and I had left off, so I can show you exactly where we were."

Captain Delaney grabbed a set of blueprints and unrolled them on a table that had been set up. "Okay, Lopez, point out where they were headed." Marco pointed to a spot towards the back on the right, or east, side of the building. "Okay, there's an entrance, or at least there was an entrance, not too far from there. I'll have someone check it out and see if we can get in that way."

While they were waiting for word as to whether or not they could get in the east side, Captain Delaney explained his plan. "When you get in there you'll break off into groups of four. There are twenty of you here, so that means five groups." He looked at Captain Stanley. "Stanley, you and your men can go to where Gage and DeSoto were headed. As for the rest of you, one group will go with 51, and the other three groups will go to the north, south, and west. Call out their names, but make sure that you listen for other sounds as well, and keep your eyes open. We don't know if they're injured, or if they are, how severely they're injured. If you find them, alert me over the radio, and I'll get a team of paramedics in there if needed."

While Delaney had been talking, word had come back that the east side wasn't completely collapsed, like the side that they were on, the west side, had, and that the east entrance was completely accessible. This gave Captain Stanley and the rest of the crew a little encouragement as they made their way over to the entrance and prepared to go in. Once they were inside, with Marco in the lead, Captain Stanley and his crew, along with four other firefighters, set off towards where Roy and Johnny had planned to search.

"Roy, John!" Can you hear me?" Captain Stanley called once Marco informed them that they were getting close. They listened. Nothing. Not one sound was heard except for the dripping of water.

Underneath a pile of rubble, Roy was just coming back to consciousness. He tried to move, but then realized he was being pinned by something. He figured it was the beams, but when he reached up to touch it, it was soft and warm, not at all how beams should feel. He tried to remember what had happened right before he lost consciousness. He knew that he and Johnny had just been given orders to evacuate and were headed on their way out when the beams started to fall. The last thing he remembered was staring up as the beams fell straight towards him, and then Johnny pushing him down to the ground. Johnny! That's what was on top of him! Johnny had covered Roy's body with his own right before the beams hit. Roy was about to check for a pulse when he heard Cap calling for him and Johnny. "Help!" called Roy, hoping that Cap or one of the guys would be able to hear him.

They walked a little further and Marco was just about to try calling when Mike held up his hand. "Shh! Did you hear that?" he asked excitedly.

Cap, Marco, and Chet listened, straining to hear any sound at all. After a few minutes, they were just about to give up and start searching again when they heard it. A faint cry for help. "Over there! It's coming from over there!" shouted Chet, running towards the source of the sound. The others were close behind. When they reached the spot where the sound seemed to be coming from, they found a rather large pile of rubble.

"This is Engine 51. We think we may have found the two missing firefighters, but we need additional help." Captain Stanley informed Chief McConikee using the handi-talkie. He gave the chief their location, then turned to Mike, Chet, and Marco. "All right, let's start digging. Johnny, Roy, if you can hear me, we're going to start digging now."

Under the rubble, Roy cheered silently. Someone had heard him! He and Johnny would be rescued now! Roy reached up with his one arm that wasn't pinned, and checked Johnny for a pulse, afraid that he wouldn't find one. Yes! Johnny had a pulse! It was week, but it was there, which meant that Johnny was still alive.

"Johnny?" Roy asked, hoping that Johnny would regain consciousness. There was no answer. He tried again. "Johnny? Come on, wake up!" When there was still no answer, Roy reached up again, and the best he could, felt around to see if he could find out if Johnny was injured, and if so, then where. He felt Johnny's head, which at some point had lost it's helmet, and his hand came away wet and sticky. Blood! Johnny had a head wound. Roy hoped it wasn't serious. He reached up again, this time feeling Johnny's neck. It didn't seem to be broken. He tried to feel Johnny's back, but most of it was covered by the beams. He could only feel one of Johnny's shoulders.

Roy sighed, disappointed that he couldn't better examine his friend. "Well, I guess I should probably figure out what my injuries are." he said to himself. He felt his head. "Okay, no head injury. That's good. I can obviously move my arm, and I can feel pain throughout my body, so my neck obviously isn't broken, and neither is my back."

Just then Roy's thoughts were interrupted by Cap calling, "Roy! Johnny! Can you hear me?"

"Cap?" Roy called back.

"Roy! Are you okay? Where's Johnny?" Cap's voice was filled with relief.

"I think I'm okay, Cap. I'm pinned under Johnny. I don't have a head injury, and I have feeling in my arms and legs, so my neck and back aren't broken."

"What about Johnny, Pal? Is Johnny okay?"

"He has a head injury, Cap, and he's unconscious. He won't wake up. His pulse is really weak, and his breathing sounds really labored. Some beams fell, and he took the brunt of them. He's not doing so good, Cap."

Captain Stanley was very worried. His senior paramedic sounded like he was in pretty good condition, but from Roy's description, it sounded like Johnny was really bad off. "Do you still have the handi-talkie?" he asked Roy.

Roy felt around and his hand came in contact with the handi-talkie. "Yeah, I do." He called back.

"Does it still work? We're using channel three, so switch it to channel three, then try it." Cap instructed.

Roy did as ordered, then pressed in the button to talk. "Can you hear me?" he asked while pressing down the button.

A cheer went up from all of those digging, which by now was pretty much everyone in the search party. There were multiple handi-talkies in the immediate area, so they had clearly heard Roy talking. Cap keyed his own handi-talkie. "Yeah, Roy, we can hear you, hang in there, Pal. We're almost through." He released the button, then turned to all those digging. "Come on, men! They're alive! Let's dig faster!" Cap grabbed the shovel that someone handed him, and along with all the others, started digging with renewed energy.

A few minutes later, paramedics Craig Brice and Bob Bellingham came running towards the group. "Captain Stanley, how are they?" Bellingham asked, concerned.

Captain Stanley didn't stop digging as he replied, "Roy doesn't seem to be injured too seriously, but Johnny hasn't regained consciousness since the collapse, and he's bleeding from a head wound. Roy said that Johnny's pulse is weak and his respirations are labored."

Brice wrote down everything that Captain Stanley had said, then set up the biophone. "Rampart, this is Squad 36."

Kel, Joe, and Dixie had all been crowded around the radio when the call came in, hoping to hear some word on the condition of the paramedics. Brackett answered, "Go ahead 36."

"Rampart, we have two code-I's. Victim one is a firefighter paramedic, 32 years of age. Vitals are unknown at this time, as victim is buried under rubble. Rampart, be advised victim one is Roy DeSoto. Victim two is a firefighter paramedic, 27 years of age. Pulse is weak, and breathing is labored. Victim has been unconscious for approximately forty minutes and is bleeding from a head wound. That is all the information we have for now, as victim two is also buried. Rampart, be advised, victim two is Johnny Gage."

"10-4, 36. Keep us updated, and give us more information as soon as possible."

"10-4, Rampart."

Kel turned to Dixie and Joe. "Well, at least we know they're alive." he said.

Dixie nodded. "I just wish we had more information."

Dr. Mike Morton came around the corner and saw the group crowded around the radio. "What's going on?" he asked, walking over to the group.

"Roy and Johnny were working the warehouse fire, and were inside when it collapsed. We just received word that they're alive, but buried under a pile of rubble." Joe filled Morton in.

"Oh, man." breathed Morton. "Any word on their injuries?"

"Johnny is bleeding from a head wound, has a weak pulse, labored respirations, and has been unconscious for about forty minutes. Roy is conscious and talking, but they don't know anything about his injuries. They're digging as fast as they can." Brackett stopped and glanced up at the clock. "If the forty minute estimation is correct, then they only have twenty minutes before the golden hour is up."

Nothing more needed to be said. They all knew that once the golden hour, the first hour after a person was injured, was up, there would be less of a chance of survival or a complete recovery. All they could do was hope and pray that Roy and Johnny were uncovered soon.

"We're through!" Captain Stanley's head came up when he heard those words come from a fellow fire captain's mouth. "We can see the beams pinning them down!" Everyone cheered and tossed aside their shovels. They couldn't risk digging with shovels now for fear of injuring Roy or Johnny even more.

Roy, too, had heard the shout. He was relieved, as Johnny's breathing had gotten more and more labored. "Hang in there, Johnny. They'll get us out soon." he said. Roy then picked up the handi-talkie. "Cap?" he said.

"Yeah, Roy?"

"Johnny's getting worse. You need to hurry or he's not going to make it."

"We're almost to you, Pal. You and Johnny just hang in there."

Minutes later, the last of the stones covering Roy's face were moved, and he could clearly see his rescuers. "Captain Stanley! We through to Roy!" One of the firefighters shouted.

Stanley ran over to where the firefighter had pointed and was relieved to see Roy's face as well as the back of Johnny's head. "Roy, how ya doin, Pal?"

"It's not me you need to worry about, Cap. It's Johnny."

"I know, Roy. They're clearing the last of the rubble away now. As soon as they're done, we'll get you two out of there. Just hang in there, okay?"

Soon they had uncovered Roy and Johnny, as well as the beams pinning them down. Everyone gasped. One of the beams had fallen across Johnny's back and covered from just below his shoulders down to his waist. The other beam had fallen across Johnny's legs, and covered from his things to his calves. They were even more shocked to see that Roy was almost completely protected from both the beams and the rubble by Johnny's body.

"Come on," Captain Stanley shouted. "Let's get some jacks in here and get these beams off them!"

"Rampart, this is Squad 36." Bellingham's voice came over the radio, causing those surrounding it to jump.

"Go ahead, 36." answered Kel.

"Rampart, the victims have been uncovered. Victim two is pinned by two beams, one across his back, and the other across his legs. Victim one is pinned by victim two."

"10-4, 36. Any word on how long until they're extracted?"

"Negative, Rampart. Stand by for vitals."

"Standing by."

A minute or so later, Brice came on the radio. "Rampart, we have vitals on both victims. Vitals for victim one are as follows: Pulse 90, BP 90/60, respirations 10, pupils equal and reactive. Vitals for victim two are: Pulse 68, BP 75/50, respirations 7 and labored. Unable to check pupil reaction on victim two"

"10-4, 36. Administer IV D5W on both victims and keep me posted."

"10-4, Rampart."

Brackett turned back to the Joe and Dixie. Morton had gone to treat another patient that had come in. "Dix, set up treatment room one and two. Also, make sure there's at least one O.R. available. From the sounds of it, at least Johnny's going to need surgery, if not Roy as well." Dixie nodded and rushed off to do as instructed.

"You mean if Johnny makes it here, right, Kel?" Joe asked, being brutally honest.

Sadly, Kel shook his head. "Yes, if Johnny makes it here. I don't like the sounds of those vitals. I wish they'd hurry up and get them out of there!"

"They're doing the best they can, Kel. I'm sure that Captain Stanley, Mike, Marco, and Chet feel the same way."

"I know. I just feel so helpless standing here."

"There's nothing you could do if you were there, Kel. They're going to need you here once they come in."

Back at the warehouse, the jacks were finally in place. "Okay, men, go ahead and raise it slowly." Stanley instructed. The beams slowly started to raise. When they were up high enough that Roy and Johnny could be slid out, Stanley called out, "Okay, right there's good."

Chet, Marco, Mike, Brice, and Bellingham rushed forward and carefully pulled Roy and Johnny safely away from the beams. Captain Stanley was close by, supervising. As soon as Roy and Johnny were safely away, Brice and Bellingham placed two backboards in position. They then carefully rolled Johnny off of Roy and unto one of the backboards. Johnny groaned as they did so.

Captain Stanley was immediately by Johnny's side. "Johnny? Can you hear me, Pal? Open your eyes, Johnny." he said in his most authoritative voice. Johnny's eyes slowly opened. He blinked several times, then focused on Cap's face.

"Cap? What happened?" he whispered.

Cap grinned. "You were told to get out, and instead you decided to get hit by a couple of beams. How do you feel?"

"I don't know, Cap. I hurt. It's hard to breath."

"Don't worry, Gage. We'll get some oxygen on you here in a minute. Let's get you in a stokes, then you can have some oxygen." Brice grabbed one side of the backboard and Captain Stanley grabbed the other. They carefully lifted Johnny and place him in a stokes. Brice then placed an oxygen mask over Johnny's face. As he did so, the building began to creak.

Captain Stanley looked up. "We'd better hurry. I think that the rest of this building is about to come down." He glanced over at Roy, who by now was also on a backboard and in a stokes. "Let's get these two out of here." Marco and Bellingham grabbed Roy's stokes while Chet and Brice grabbed Johnny's. Cap and Mike gathered up all of the medical supplies and the biophone, and then followed the two stokes out of the building.

Once they were safely outside, Brice once again set up the biophone and contacted Rampart. "Rampart, this is Squad 36."

"Go ahead, 36." Kel said.

"Both victims have now been extricated from the rubble and beams. Victim two has regained consciousness and is complaining of difficulty breathing, and severe pain. Vitals are the same, pupils are sluggish. Patient is complaining of severe pain in chest as well as lower body.

Kel, Dixie, and Joe breathed a sigh of relief. If Johnny was complaining of pain, then it meant that more than likely, his spinal cord had not been injured. "36, what are victim two's injuries?"

"Victim is bleeding from a head wound as well as multiple lacerations on the body. His legs are…broken. His left arm and several ribs are broken as well, Rampart."

Kel could tell by the hesitation and the tone of Brice's voice that Johnny's legs were more than just broken. More than likely they were crushed.

"36, how severe is the head injury?"

"Victim is bleeding from a large cut on his head. Also, he appears to have a concussion. Rampart, there is fluid coming out of patient's ears."

Kel sighed. That could only mean one thing. A skull fracture. "10-4, 36. What is victims one's status?"

"Rampart, victim one has a broken arm and a slight concussion as well as several broken ribs. There are no other apparent injuries. Vitals are unchanged."

"10-4, 36. Transport both victims immediately."

"10-4, Rampart."

Kel turned to Dixie and Joe. "I don't like the sound of it. Johnny seems to be pretty bad off. I suspect that one of his broken ribs may have punctured a lung. Although they didn't say it, I suspect that Johnny's injuries are a lot more severe. It's a miracle that Roy got away with so few injuries."

"It sounds like if it hadn't been for Johnny, Roy would have been the one taking the brunt of the beams." Dixie said. "Kel, tell me the truth. How much of a chance does Johnny have?"

Kel sighed. "I don't know. I know they weren't telling me everything about Johnny. That's understandable, as they didn't want him to panic."

Just then the phone rang. Dixie answered it. "Rampart Emergency, Miss McCall." She listened for a moment, then covered the mouthpiece and turned to Kel. "51 wants to set up a relay through dispatch.

Kel took the phone. "This is Dr. Brackett."

"51, Rampart is ready for a relay." Dispatch informed Captain Stanley. "10-4. Rampart, victim two's legs are severely crushed, and his chest is possible crushed as well."

"10-4." responded Kel. "Is victim two still at the scene?"

"Negative, Rampart. Victim two is enroute to the hospital."

"10-4, 51."

Kel then hung up the phone and was about to call Squad 36 over the radio when they contacted him. "Rampart, this is Squad 36."

"Go ahead, 36."

"Patient has lost consciousness. Has Engine 51 informed you of the additional injuries?"

"That's affirmative, 36."

"Rampart, patient has gone into respiratory distress! Request permission to insert chest tube."

"36, insert chest tube and update us on patient's status."

"10-4, Rampart." After a few minutes of silence, Craig Brice came back on. "Rampart, patient's breathing is now stabilized. Pulse is now 65, BP is 70/50, and Respirations are 8."

"10-4, 36. What's your eta on victim one and victim two?"

"Rampart, eta is two minutes on both victims."

"10-4, 36." Kel turned to Dixie, Joe, and Morton, who had once again joined them. "Dix, are the room ready?" When she nodded he went on. "Joe, can you take Roy? Mike and I will take Johnny."

"Right, Kel." Joe replied. With the details all sorted out, the group rushed to the emergency entrance to await the arrival of Roy and Johnny. The two ambulances arrived moments later, on right behind the other.

The doors to the first ambulance flew open before it had even come to a complete stop. Craig Brice jumped out. Kel, Morton, and an orderly all grabbed the gurney that Johnny was laying on and rushed him down the hall to a treatment room, where they started a long, hard fight to save Johnny's life.

The second ambulance came to a stop, and Bellingham jumped down. Dixie, Mike, and another orderly took hold of this gurney and pushed it to a treatment room as well.


	3. The Hospital

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. This is the fastest I've ever gotten chapters out. I just can't seem to stop writing this story!

Disclaimer: See chapter one

* * *

"Hank! What are you and your men still doing here?" Captain Hank Stanley turned around to see Chief McConikee coming towards him.

"We were helping with the cleanup, Chief." Hank replied, puzzled and a little disgruntled at the interruption. He and the crew of Engine 51 were trying to hurry up and finish cleaning up so they could return to the station and check on the conditions of Roy and Johnny

"I've stood your station down for the rest of the shift, Hank. You and your men need to be at the hospital with Gage and DeSoto. I sent someone to tell you. Didn't you get the message?"

"No, we never got any such message. Thank you, Chief." Hank rushed off to tell the rest of his men the good news. The first person he saw was Mike. "Michael!" called Hank. When Mike turned around, he continued. "We've been stood down for the rest of the shift, effective immediately. Get the engine ready to go. As soon as I find Chet and Marco, we're getting out of here."

Mike ran to the engine. He was in as much of a hurry as Cap was to find out how Roy and Johnny were doing.

Cap continued searching for the rest of his crew. He finally spotted them near the collapsed warehouse. "Kelly! Lopez! Come on! We've been stood down for the rest of the shift!" He called.

Marco and Chet needed no encouragement. They were just as worried about their two paramedics as Cap was. They ran over to where Hank was standing, and together the three hurried to the engine. "Okay, Michael, let's get out of here!" Hank said once they were all in their seats.

When they arrived back at the station, rather than waste time getting changed, they instead rushed to their cars, anxious to get to Rampart.

Dixie McCall was at the nurses' station when they arrived. "Miss McCall, how are they?" Hanks asked worriedly.

"Let's go to the lounge, Captain. And please, call me Dixie." She led them to the lounge, where she filled them in on Roy and Johnny's conditions. "Roy is in stable condition right now. Miraculously, he has no internal damage, only a few broken ribs and a broken arm, and of course various scratches and bruises on his body. Johnny, however, is in much worse condition. Form what Roy tells us, it seems that when Johnny saw that they couldn't get out of the way of the beams, he pushed Roy down and covered Roy's body with his own. When the beams landed, he took almost all of the force. In addition, when all the rubble fell down on them, he was the one that got hit by it, not Roy. His legs are crushed beyond repair; he has a very severe chest injury, a skull fracture, broken ribs, and internal bleeding." Dixie looked around at the faces of the men in the room with her. On them, she saw a mixture of shock, disbelief, fear, anger, and sadness. He heart went out to them, especially because of what she was about to tell them. She took a deep breath, and then went on. "Johnny regained consciousness again in the exam room and insisted on knowing the extent of his injuries. Once he did, he asked what his chances were. We told him." Dixie had to pause before she could go on.

Marco took advantage of that moment to ask the question on the tip of everyone's tongue. "What are his chances, Dixie?"

Dixie sighed. "Kel doesn't think he'd make it through the night. He's not even sure that Johnny would make it through surgery."

"What did Johnny say?" Mike asked.

"He said that he didn't want the surgeries. If he wouldn't make it anyway, he doesn't want to go through that pain. He said that he'd rather go now than suffer even more and then go."

"Is he…is he…dead?" Chet managed to ask.

"Not yet. He's holding on for something. I think he's holding on until he can see all of you and Roy and Joanne."

Hank smacked his forehead with his hand. "Joanne! I totally forgot bout calling her!" he exclaimed.

"I already called her. I called her as soon as Roy and Johnny were dug out." Dixie quickly assured him. "She's in with Roy right now."

Hank gave her a grateful look. "Thank you, Dixie. Do Roy and Joanne know about…?"

"About Johnny? No, not yet. I was waiting for all of you to get here before I told them."

Hank stood up from where he'd been sitting on the couch. "I'll go with you." he said. "I need to be there when you tell him."

Hank and Dixie left the room. As soon as they were out the door, Chet slammed his fist into a couch cushion. "It can't be true! It just can't be! Brackett must be wrong!' he shouted.

Marco, with tears streaming down his face, went over and sat by him. "Chet, Brackett's the best. He knows what he's doing. Anyway, it's wasn't Brackett's choice. It was Johnny's. Johnny was the one who chose not to have the surgeries."

"Chet, think about it. Dixie said that Johnny's legs were crushed. Would he really have been happy, living without legs? Even if by some miracle they could save his legs, he would still have to retire from the Fire Department. He would have been miserable. Don't forget, all of that is if he even survived the surgeries." Mike said, upset at Chet.

Outside Roy's room, Dixie, Brackett, and Captain Stanley were getting ready to go in and tell Roy about Johnny. "Dr. Brackett, I think it might be best if I told him, as his Captain." Captain Stanley suggested. Brackett agreed, so after a couple more minutes to collect his thoughts, Hank opened the door to Roy's room. Dixie and Brackett were right behind him.

"Hi, Roy, Joanne." Hank greeted his senior paramedic and his wife.

"Hi, Cap. Is there any word on Johnny?" Roy asked, looking very worried.

"Roy, Johnny's injuries were very severe. Both of his legs were crushed, he had a chest injury, a skull fracture, broken ribs, and internal bleeding. Roy, Johnny's not going to make it."

Roy stared at his Captain in shock. "No, no, it can't be true. Not Johnny. Johnny always survives." Roy began to get angry. "You're lying! It can't be true. He's been injured before, and the doctors thought he wouldn't make it, but he always pulls through. You're lying!" Roy was practically shouting by now. Joanne was trying to comfort him and settle him down, but it wasn't working.

Brackett stepped forward. "Roy, listen to me." he said firmly. Roy looked up. "Johnny's injuries are so severe that he probably wouldn't even make it through surgery. Even if he did, he wouldn't survive the night. Roy, we're not going to operate on him. It was Johnny's decision. He doesn't want to go through any more. He's ready to go. The only reason he's hanging on is so that he can see you and the rest of the guys one last time to say goodbye. Roy, if you go in there all broken up like you are now, you're going to make it harder on him."

"Is he in pain?" Roy wanted to know.

"Yes, he's still in some pain. We gave him a little bit of pain medicine, but he refused to take anything strong. He wants to be alert when all of you go see him. Joanne, he'd like to see you as well."

"Doc, maybe it'd be best if the others saw him first, I don't think I can handle seeing him right now."

"Okay, Roy. I'll come back and get you and Joanne when the others are through." Brackett left the room, but Hank and Dixie stayed a little longer.

"Roy, are you alright, Pal?" Hank asked.

"No, Cap, I'm not okay. I was just told that my best friend is dying. My partner is dying, Cap. How am I going to tell my kids? They love Johnny." Roy was crying.

Hank was struggling to hold back his own tears. "I don't know what to tell you, Roy. I wish there were something that I could say to make it better, but there isn't. There's nothing I can do. I feel so helpless!" He lost the battle against tears. As tears started to run down his face, he excused himself from the room.

Dixie walked over to Roy. Joanne slipped out to check on Hank, and also to call Emily, Hank's wife. He needed her with him right now. "Roy, I don't know what to say. I can't believe this is happening. I keep thinking that I'm dreaming, that I'll wake up and everything will be back to normal, that Johnny will come bounding down the hallway with that crooked grin of his on his face, chasing my nurses, and ranting about some off the wall thing. Oh, Roy." Dixie couldn't say any more. She broke down crying.

Roy laid a hand on her arm. No words were needed as the two friends cried together. Each one knew exactly what the other was thinking. After a few minutes, Dixie dried her eyes and excused herself. She needed to check on Hank and the other guys, see how they were holding up.

Dr. Brackett and Hank had just entered the lounge again, and Brackett was explaining how they were going to work out the visits to Johnny. "Each one of you will have a turn to go in and say goodbye to Johnny. Hank, do you want to go first?"

Hank shook his head. "Let the others go first. I'll wait."

Brackett turned back to Mike, Marco, and Chet. "Okay, who wants to go first, then?'

Mike stood up. "I'll go."

"I'll go next, Dr. Brackett." Chet spoke up.

"I'll go after Chet." Marco said.

Brackett turned back to Hank. "Do you want to go after Marco, or do you want Joanne to go?"

'I'll go after Marco."

"Okay. Mike, if you want to follow me, I'll take you to see Johnny." Brackett led Mike to Treatment Room 1. "Johnny," he called softly. "You have a visitor."

Mike walked over to the bed. "Hey, Johnny."

Johnny did his best to smile. "Mike. I'm glad you're first."

Mike looked surprised. "Why?"

"Because you're the strongest of the guys, except maybe Cap. They're going to need you. Be there for them, Mike, please?"

"You know I will, Johnny. We're really going to miss you. It won't be the same without you there." Mike was doing his best to hold himself together for Johnny's sake.

"Mike, its okay if you cry. I'll understand."

Mike shook his head. "I don't want to be crying the last time you see me. I'll be okay."

"Mike you'd make a great Captain. You really should take the test. I bet you'll pass with flying colors. You'll be as good as Cap, I'm sure of it. You've always been the leader of the bunch."

"You really think so, Johnny? You guys always tease me about being so quiet. Are you sure I'd make a good Captain?"

Johnny coughed. "Yeah." he coughed again. "You've got to watch out for the quiet ones. They're usually the best." Johnny's breathing was getting really labored. "Mike, can you hand me that oxygen mask?"

Mike helped Johnny put the oxygen mask on, then quietly said, "Goodbye, Johnny." and left the room.

Chet came in just moments after Mike had left. He had obviously been waiting just outside the door. "Hi Johnny."

"Something must really be wrong, Chet. You never call me Johnny. It's always Gage. Are you sick or something?" Johnny joked.

Chet gave the barest hint of a smile. "How can you do that?" he asked. "How can you joke when you know you're dying?"

"It's my way of dealing with it, Chet. If I wasn't joking right now, I think I'd go crazy. I don't want to die, Chet, I really don't. Surgery would just be postponing the inevitable. You and I both know that, Chet."

Chet sighed. "I know. Why dies this stuff always happen to the good guys?"

"Well, you know what they say. 'The good die young.' I guess I must be pretty good, huh, Chet?" When Chet didn't answer, Johnny turned serious. "Look, Chet, I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but we've been pretty good friends. You're an excellent firefighter, Chet. If I know you, you'll want to give up firefighting after I die. Don't do that. I want you to keep on being a firefighter. Do it for me, Chet. Do it because I won't be able to. Who knows, maybe someday you'll even become a Captain? Will you do that for me, Chet?"

Through his tears, Chet answered, "yeah, Johnny, I'll do that. I promise." He then turned and left the room.

Before Marco came in, Dixie came in to check and see how Johnny was doing. "Johnny? How are you doing?" she asked.

"It's hard, Dix. It's so hard. These guys are my family, and it's hard to see them hurting so much knowing that I'm the cause."

"Oh, Johnny. It just goes to show how much you mean to them. They care so much about you. Don't you see? It's just as hard on them as it is on you, if not harder. Remember that when you see the rest of them, especially Roy and Hank. They're both hurting so much." Dixie had to leave then or she would have started crying. Johnny didn't need to see her tears as well. It'd only make him feel worse.

Marco was next. "Hey Marco," Johnny said when Marco entered his room.

"Hi Johnny. How are you doing?"

Johnny knew Marco was referring to how he was doing physically, but emotionally. "It's hard, Marco. It's so hard. But enough about me. How are you and the guys holding up?"

"Johnny, we're going to miss you. You know that. I know that it's probably going to hurt for you to hear this, but I doubt we'll be together too much longer after you're gone. It just won't be the same at Station 51 without you there. It'll be too hard for us all to work there with someone else in your place."

"I know, Marco. But I want you to promise me something. Promise me that all of you will at least give it a try."

"we will, Johnny. I'll make sure of that."

"Will you do something else for me too, Marco?"

"Sure, Johnny. What is it?"

"Take care of Chet. He's going to be hurting so much. He may act like a big tease, but seep down inside he's really just a softy. One other thing, Marco. I always pictured myself being a firefighter until I retire. I'm not going to be able to fulfill my dream. Will you be the best firefighter you can possibly be? I think you'd make a great Captain. Who knows? Maybe you'll even become Battalion Chief someday."

"I'll do that for you, Johnny. I'll never forget you." Marco turned and walked out of the room.

It was finally Captain Stanley's turn. "Hi, Pal." he said as he walked in the door.

"Hi, Cap."

"Look, John, I just want to say I admire your decision. I'm not sure I would have done the same thing in your place. Also, Roy told us what happened in the warehouse today. You're a hero. If it hadn't been for you, Roy would have died in that warehouse today. If you don't mind my asking, why did you do it?"

"Cap, when Roy and I first became partners, I made a promise to Joanne. I promised her that Roy would come home to her and the kids each night. I couldn't break that promise, Cap. Roy has a family that needs him. I know that if it had been me standing there, Roy would have done the same thing."

"Does Roy know about your promise?" Captain Stanley was curious.

"No. I didn't see any need to tell him."

Captain Stanley could see that Johnny was getting weaker, so he got up and was about to leave when Johnny said. "Cap?"

Hank turned around. "Yeah, John?'

"I just wanted to say that you've been a great captain and friend. I couldn't have asked for a better Captain than you. One of my dreams was to become a Captain someday, and I hoped that I'd be half as good as you. Thank you."

With tears running down his face, Cap said, "I'm sorry you never got to fulfill that dream, John." He then left the room. Once he was outside in the hallway, he started sobbing. "Why John? He never took any thought for himself. He loved what he did. Why did this have to happen to him? Why, God, why?"

"Hank?" Hank looked up and saw his wife standing there.

"Oh, Emily, why did it have to be him? He was like a son to me!" Emily wrapped her arms around her husband and held him while he cried, comforting him and crying with him. She, too, had grown attached to Johnny. Although she wasn't as close to him as Joanne was, she was close to him. She was close to all the guys under Hank's command, but she had a soft spot for Johnny.

Meanwhile, Joanne entered Johnny's room. Johnny managed a slight smile when he saw her. "Joanne, you're beautiful. Want to get married?"

Joanne laughed. "Sorry, Johnny. I'm already taken." AS long as she could remember, Johnny had always greeted her this way, ever since that day nearly eight years ago when she and Johnny had met. "What were you thinking, getting yourself pulverized by some beams? You should know better." she chided gently.

"I had a promise to keep, Joanne. I never break a promise."

At those words, Joanne broke down crying. Roy had told her all about how Johnny had saved his life.

All Johnny could do was lay there and watch her cry. He didn't even have the strength to cover her hand with his. He knew he was fading fast, and if he wanted to be able to see everyone, he had to save up his strength. "Joanne, go find the guys. They need you and you need them."

Joanne leaned down and gave Johnny a kiss. "Thanks you, Johnny. We'll never forget what you did." She then left the room.

A few minutes after Joanne left, Roy wheeled himself in. "Hey, Pally." Johnny said weakly.

"Save your strength, Junior. It's okay. I understand."

"No, Roy. I have to tell you something."

"What is it, Johnny?"

"You were the best partner a guy could ask for. Not only the best partner, but the best friend. I know it's going to be hard to go on without me, but do your best. Try to stick it out as a paramedic. If you can't, I'll understand, but, please, just try. Who knows? Maybe you'll make engineer, and then Captain someday. Maybe even Chief."

"Maybe, Junior, maybe."

"Roy, I need to see Brackett."

"Are you okay?"

"Just want to say goodbye to him."

With tears in his eyes, Roy wheeled himself away from his best friend's bedside and went to find Dr. Brackett. He eventually found him by the nurses' station, talking to Dixie and Joe. "Doc, Johnny wants to see you." Roy informed him.

Kel immediately knew why. He hurried to Johnny's room. "Hey, Johnny. How's my star patient doing?"

"Not so good, Doc. Doc?"

"Yeah, Johnny."

"If Roy can't make it as a fireman, will you find someplace in the paramedic program for him?"

"Certainly."

"And Doc? I need you to take my advice for a change. You and Dixie are made for each other. She's going to need you, Doc. Be there for her, please? The two of you should get married. You both love each other. I wish I could be there."

"Johnny, you've been a great paramedic. It won't be the same without you here. We'll definitely miss you."

"Doc? Can I see Doctor Early now?"

"Sure. I'll go find him and send him in here." When Kel got back to the nurses' desk, he told Joe that Johnny wanted to see him. Once Joe left, Dixie looked at Kel, and for the first time since she'd known him, Kelly Brackett was crying. She came around the desk and pulled him into an embrace. They stayed that way for a while, crying with each other, thinking about the friend and colleague who lay dying in one of their treatment rooms.

"Johnny? Kel said you wanted to see me." Joe said, walking into Johnny's room.

"Yeah. You're a great doctor. I wanted to say thanks for all those times you patched me up. You're especially great with kids. They love you. Doc, look after Brackett, Dixie, and Morton for me, will you? Better yet, why don't all four of you look out for each other?"

"We'll do that, Johnny. You know, something's going to be missing around here after you die, Johnny. You always seemed to liven the place up. It won't be the same without you. I'm going to miss you, not just because you're a great paramedic, but because you're a great friend, too."

"Thanks, Doc. Listen, will you get Morton for me?"

"Sure." Joe could tell that Johnny didn't have much longer, so he hurried back to the nurses' station and paged Morton to go to Johnny's room. He was there within a minute.

"Johnny."

"Dr. Morton, I know we haven't always gotten along, but I wanted to tell you that you're an excellent doctor. You really should work on that bedside manner, though." Johnny said jokingly.

"I'll do my best, but I'm not going to have anyone to practice on now. How am I supposed to work on it without you here to practice on?"

The corners of Johnny's mouth lifted slightly. "I guess you'll just have to find another 'softy' to practice on." he said, referring to the time when Morton had called him soft.

"I guess so." Morton did his best to laugh, but it sounded forced.

"Can I see Dix?"

"Sure. I'll get her." Morton hurried to the nurses' station.

Once Dixie found out Johnny was asking for her, she was on her feet in a flash and headed towards her favorite paramedic's room.

"Hi, Johnny." she said softly.

"Dix. I'm glad you came so fast. I don't have much time left, Dixie."

Dixie's eyes filled with tears. "I know, Johnny."

"Dix, you and Brackett need to stop fooling around and get together. You two are meant for each other, and I know you're in love. Another thing, you really shouldn't pick favorites among the paramedics."

Dixie tried to smile. Johnny was her favorite paramedic and everyone knew it. "I'll do my best Johnny. On both accounts. There'll never be another paramedic like you, though."

Johnny barely had enough strength to get out a few more words. "Dix, I want everyone with me."

Dixie knew that Johnny meant all of the guys from Station 51, along with Joanne, Kel, Morton, Joe, and herself. "Okay, I'll be right back." On her way to the lounge, which was where all of the guys from station 51 were at, she stopped at the nurses' station to inform Kel, Joe, and Mike. "Johnny wants all of us there with him." she said. "I've got to go tell Joanne and the guys."

Less than ten minutes later, everyone was assembled in Johnny's room. No more than two minutes after they all got in there, John Roderick Gage took his last breath.

Brackett looked at the clock. "Time of death, 7:59pm."

* * *

A/N: Sorry to all those that didn't want Johnny to die. I like Johnny, too, but I've read too many fanfics were he recovers from injuries that would have killed anyone else, and I was tired of it. The next chapter will hopefully be up soon. Please R& R


	4. The Memories

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. This may be the last chapter for awhile as I'm leaving for college tomorrow and won't have internet access very often. I'll try to post againas soon as possible.

Disclaimer: see first chapter.

* * *

The group slowly filed out of Johnny's room. Roy and Joanne went back to his room, Captain Stanley and his wife, along with the rest of the crew from station 51, left to go home. Kel, Joe, and Dixie went to Kel's office.

"I just can't believe it." said Dixie, sinking into a chair. "I can't believe that Johnny is really dead. He's had so many close calls and survived them that I was beginning to think he could survive anything."

Kel walked over and sat down on the arm of the chair Dixie was sitting in. He put his arm around her. Dixie leaned against him. "I think we all thought that, Dix. We thought he was invincible, when, in reality, he was just as human as the rest of us. I guess his luck just ran out."

"It was his time to go, Dix. He was ready." Joe stated.

They all sat in silence for a while thinking about their fallen friend. Dixie was the one who broke the silence. "You know, the first time I met him, I instantly like him. He just had that kind of personality. He was someone that you didn't have to know to like. That crooked grin of his charmed me instantly." She smiled sadly. "Kel, remember the birthday party for Johnny that we had at my apartment?"

Kel nodded. "I remember. You were being sneaky and had given a birthday party for Johnny in order to push the paramedic program. I was against it at the time, and you were trying to convince me that it was the best thing."

"What finally convinced you, Kel?" asked Joe.

Kel thought for a moment. "It was the run where Dixie got hurt. She would have died without Roy and Johnny's help, but I didn't realize that at the time. It took a good what for from Johnny Gage for me to realize that we needed the paramedic program." He smiled at the memory.

"What did he say, Kel? You never told me about this before." Dixie asked.

_flashback to 1969_

"Dr. Brackett? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Johnny asked.

Kel looked at his watch and sighed. "Okay. Let's talk in my office."

Once they were inside Kel's office, Johnny said. "Look, Doc. I know that you don't approve of the paramedic program, but don't you see what good it can do?"

"What good it can do!" exploded Brackett. "What do you mean 'what good it can do?'?" Dixie could have died out there today because you treated her without permission or supervision. I don't know who you think you are!"

Johnny cut in before Kel could say any more. "Listen, Doc. If it hadn't of been for us, Dixie could have died out there today! If we were still the untrained firemen working as rescue men, she would have died. Don't you realize that? Would you have rather we didn't treat her without permission or supervision? Did you want us to just let her die? That's happened to me one too many times. That's why I became a paramedic, so I could help save lives! I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that what we're doing is right. You and I both know that Roy and I saved not only Dixie's life, but also the lives of the people in that car. The only difference is, you just don't want to admit it." Johnny stood up and walked out of Brackett's office without another word.

_back to the present_

"After Johnny left, I thought long and hard about what he had said. When Joe said practically the same thing to me just a few hours later, I decided that they were right. I guess in a way, you helped me make that decision too, Dix. If you hadn't of gotten hurt, Johnny and Joe wouldn't have chewed me out, and I probably wouldn't have changed my mind."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then Dixie said, "Well, I suppose we should probably get back to work. We're not helping anyone by just sitting around ." She started to get up, but Kel stopped her. He motioned for Joe to leave.

Once Joe had left, Kel turned to Dixie. "Look, Dix, why don't you take the rest of the day off. It's been long day. Go home and get some sleep." he said gently.

"No, Kel. I can't do that. It's not what Johnny would have wanted. He would have wanted us to go on with our lives, rather than sit around and mourn."

Kel gave in. "Okay, but if you get too tired, or you think you need to go home, let me know, alright?"

Dixie agreed. She started to leave, then turned back to Kel. "Kel, thanks." she said, then left.

Kel sighed and went to sit down behind his desk. He thought about Johnny's last words to him. _"You and Dixie were made for each other. She's going to need you, Doc. Be there for her, please?"_ "I'm trying, Johnny, I really am. I'm going to make an effort this time around. I'm not going to let work get in the way of our relationship." He told Johnny, silently.

After leaving the hospital, the men of Station 51, with the exception of Roy, who was still in the hospital, assembled at Captain Stanley's house. They sat out in the backyard, not talking much, each lost in their own thoughts. When they did speak, they were careful to avoid mentioning Johnny.

Finally, Hank had had enough. "Listen, we can't keep avoiding Johnny. It won't change anything. He'll still be dead. It's just going to make it harder on us. The best thing we can do right now is talk about Johnny, talk about what we're feeling. If we keep it bottled up inside us, it'll tear us apart."

"Cap, don't give us that. Don't give us some speech that headquarters told you to say." Chet was mad.

"Chet-"

Hank was cut off by Mike. "He's right, Cap. We don't need you giving us a speech that some therapist at headquarters wrote. Yeah, we can't keep avoiding talking about Johnny, but that stupid speech isn't going to help. You know that as well as I do."

Hank sighed. "You're right, Chet, Mike." They sat in silence for several minutes before Chet spoke up.

"Remember our first shift together? Remember how nervous we all were that we wouldn't get along?"

_Flashback, 1969, First A shift at Station 51_

Marco walked into the day room. Cap, Chet, Mike, and Roy were already there. "Good morning." he greeted them.

"Hey, Marco" greeted Roy.

"Lopez," acknowledged Cap.

"Hey Marco, what's that behind you?" asked Chet. When Marco turned to look, Chet laughed and said. "Made you look!"

Marco just rolled his eyes. It was obvious who the prankster of the new Station was going to be..

Johnny walked into the dayroom then. At just twenty years of age, he was the youngest of the station. He stopped when he saw them all sitting around the table. "I didn't miss roll call, did I?" he asked, confused.

Cap hid a smile. "No, Pal. You're early. We're just sitting around waiting until it's time for roll call."

Johnny looked relieved. "Oh, okay Cap." He went over and opened the cabinet, planning to get a cup and pour himself some coffee, but instead he got soaked by a water bomb. "Okay, who's the funny guy?" Johnny asked, upset.

The guys all looked at Chet, who held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Hey! Who says I did it?"

"Come on, Chet. We all know you're the one who did it." Marco said.

"It wasn't me, it was the Phantom." Chet said mysteriously.

"The phantom?" questioned Roy.

"Yeah, the Phantom. You didn't know that there was a Phantom here at Station 51? He's just trying to liven up the first day."

"Kelly, you twit, the only Phantom around here is you. John, go change into some dry clothes. We'll wait until you're done to have roll call."

"Thanks, Cap." Johnny said as he went to the locker room.

When Johnny returned, they lined up in the engine bay for roll call. "Stoker." called Cap.

"Here." Mike answered.

"Lopez."

"Here."

"Kelly."

"I'm here, Cap."

Cap looked up at Chet. "A simple here will suffice, Kelly. DeSoto."

"Here."

"Gage."

"Here."

"Okay, now I'll assign duties. Michael, you have the dorms. Lopez, engine bay. DeSoto, you and Gage can hang the hoses. Kelly, you get latrine duty."

"Aww, Cap, do I have to?" whined Chet. "Can't you assign it to someone else? Like Gage, for instance."

"Congratulations, Kelly. You just got yourself two more weeks of latrine duty."

Chet knew that if he whined anymore, he'd get himself assigned to latrine duty even longer. "I'll get right on that, Cap."

_back to the present_

"Yeah, we remember, Marco. It's hard to believe it's been eight years already." Cap said. He looked around. "None of you have changed a bit. Michael, you're still as quiet as ever, Marco, you're still the cheerful one, Kelly, you're still the joker, and the phantom still exists. Roy is still the one that keeps us all sane. The only thing that has changed is Johnny."

"Cap, who's taking care of Johnny's funeral arrangements? I mean, with Roy in the hospital and all…"

"Roy asked me to help him with the arrangements. As a matter of fact, he told me to ask all of you if you'd like to help as well."

"I'll help, Cap." said Mike.

Chet spoke up next. "So will I."

"Count me in, Cap." stated Marco.

"Okay. Let's all meet in Roy's hospital room tomorrow around nine. Is that okay with everyone?" Cap looked around and saw all the guys nodding their heads. "Good. From what Roy tells me, there really isn't a whole lot to do. I guess Johnny pretty much told him what he wants."

Back at Rampart, Roy lay in his room, sullen and quiet. Joanne had finally given up on trying to get him to talk, so she went home. She would be back later, along with Chris and Jenny, so that they could tell the kids about their Uncle Johnny. Roy was deep in thought when he heard a knock on the door, followed by Dixie poking her head in. "Hi, Roy. How are you doing?" she asked, coming over and sitting on the edge of his hospital bed. When Roy didn't so much as look at her, she commanded in a very firm voice, "Roy DeSoto, I want you to look at me. Now." Roy obeyed, but still didn't say anything. Dixie could see the grief in his eyes. "Now talk to me, Roy. Tell me what you're thinking. Please." she said, this command given in a much softer voice.

Roy sighed. "It's my fault that Johnny's dead, Dix. It's all my fault!"

"Now how can it be your fault, Roy? You didn't tell him to throw himself on top of you, now did you?"

"No, but when I saw the beams coming straight towards me, I didn't move. I just stood there and watched until Johnny pushed me down to the ground. If I had moved, then Johnny wouldn't have had to cover me with his body."

"Roy, listen to me. From what Hank and the guys told me, those beams were so big that even if you had moved as soon as you saw them falling, you still would have gotten pinned under them. Johnny still would have tried to cover your body with his, even if you had moved."

"I know, Dix. I just can't help but feel as if it was my fault somehow. I mean, he died to save my life. Maybe if I'd done something different…"

"Roy, stop it. You have got to stop blaming yourself. It's not what Johnny would have wanted. You and I both know that. You're not only hurting yourself, but you're hurting others by trying to blame yourself."

"Who am I hurting? I don't really care anymore if I hurt myself."

"Roy DeSoto! How dare you say such a thing! You still have a beautiful wife and two adorable kids who love you very much! Not only are you hurting them, but if the guys from the station hear you say that, you'll be hurting them as well. Roy, you hurt me when you say that. I think it's time you remember that you weren't the only one close to Johnny. He had other friends, too, you know. I know that you were his closest friend, but that doesn't mean you were the only who cared about him. You're also dishonoring Johnny's memory when you say that. He died so that you could live. Remember that." Dixie stood up and marched out of the room.

Roy was in shock. He'd never heard Dixie speak that harshly to anyone, especially not him. She was right, though. He knew she was right. It had really hit home when she said that it was dishonoring Johnny's memory. Roy thought back to the first day he'd met Johnny.

_flashback to 1959_

Roy looked up when he heard a knock on the door he was using as his office. "Come in." he called.

The door opened to reveal a tall, dark haired young man who couldn't have been more than 20. "Hi, my name is John Gage. I'm here to find out more about the paramedic program." he said, sticking out his hand.

"HI, I'm Roy DeSoto." Roy said, standing up and shaking Johnny's hand. "Please, have a seat Mr. Gage."

"Please, call me Johnny. All my friends do." He relied, sitting down

"All right, Johnny. You can call me Roy. Now, let me tell you a little bit about the paramedic program."

_back to present time_

"Roy?" Joanne peaked in the door. "Are you feeling up to seeing the kids?"

"Sure, Jo. Go ahead and bring them in here." Roy said. He knew that what he had to do next wouldn't be easy, but it was something that had to be done.

Chris and Jenny ran up to Roy's bed. "Daddy! Daddy! How are you feeling?' Jenny asked, delighted to see her Dad.

Roy smiled. "Hey Jenny. I'm feeling better. Aunt Dixie, Uncle Kel, and Uncle Joe fixed me up."

"When are you gonna come home, Dad?" This question came from Chris.

"Well, Uncle Kel said that I can go home in week. That means that you're going to be the man of the house until then. Do you think you can handle that?"

Chris nodded vigorously. He looked around the room. When he saw the empty bed next to Roy, he got a confused look on his face. "Dad, where's Uncle Johnny? Mom said that he got hurt, too. Why isn't he in here with you?' Chris knew that something had to be really wrong with Uncle Johnny if he wasn't sharing a room with Chris' Dad.

Roy had known that the question would come up, but that didn't make it any easier for him. "Chris, Jenny, come sit by me on the bed."

Chris and Jenny climbed up on Roy's bed and looked at him expectantly. They knew something had to be wrong if their Dad wouldn't answer them right away.

"Chris, Jenny, Uncle Johnny and I were fighting a fire today when the building started to collapse. Some beams started to fall, and Uncle Johnny and I got caught under them when they landed. Uncle Craig and Uncle Bob brought him here to the hospital, and Uncle Kel, Aunt Dixie, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Mike tried to help him, but Uncle Johnny was hurt really bad. Kids, Uncle Johnny died. Uncle Kel tried really hard to save him, but Uncle Johnny was just hurt too bad."

Chris and Jenny were in tears. Joanne tried her best to comfort them, but she was crying too. After a few minutes, Jenny asked, "But Daddy, you were trapped too, but you didn't die. Why did Uncle Johnny die?"

Roy looked at Joanne, seeking her approval to tell them what had happened. When she nodded, signifying her approval, Roy explained, "Well, Jenny, that's because Uncle Johnny was hurt worse than I was. You see, when the beams started to fall, he pushed me down to the ground and laid on top of me. When the beams landed, they hurt him the most because he was on top of me, protecting me. Uncle Johnny saved my life. He was a hero."

"But, Daddy, I didn't want Uncle Johnny to die! Why did he have to die? He never did anything to hurt anyone! He always helped people!" Chris exclaimed.

"Chris, I don't know why Uncle Johnny had to die. Sometimes people are so good that they're too good to stay here, and they have to go to Heaven. Uncle Johnny was one of those people."

"Daddy, is Uncle Johnny an angel now?" Jenny wanted to know.

Roy pulled her into a hug. "Yes, Jenny," he said. "Uncle Johnny's an angle now."


	5. The Plans

-1Joanne went into her bedroom and closed the door. She sat down on the edge of the bed that she and Roy shared, and, for the first time since saying goodbye to Johnny, she let herself cry. After she had left Johnny's room, she had gone to the bathroom, wiped away her tears, and pulled herself together. Roy had needed her strength then, and later on, so did the kids. Now that she was alone, she could finally mourn her friend properly.

"Oh, Johnny, why did it have to be you? You never did anything to hurt anyone, and you were loved by so many people. You made this world a better place. You haven't even been gone a day, and already this world seems so much darker and drearier without you. Who's going to take care of Roy and keep him safe now that you're gone? When you were alive, I knew that I could always depend on you to bring Roy home safely. You kept your promise, Johnny. You kept it so well. When you made that promise, I never would have imagined anything like this happening. I'm sorry, Johnny. I'm so sorry."

Joanne felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the face of Chris. "Mom, it's not your fault. Uncle Johnny died doing what he loved. You didn't cause him to die."

Joanne pulled Chris into her arms. For a boy that was just 13, Chris was so wise." "I know, Chris, I know. It's just hard to think that Uncle Johnny isn't going to come over anymore. I know that he loved fighting fires, and that was the best way for him to go, doing something that he loved."

"Mom, I wasn't talking about fighting fires when I said that Uncle Johnny died doing what he loved. I was talking about taking care of his friends. That's something that Uncle Johnny loved more than anything else, even fighting fires and being a paramedic."

"Oh, Chris. You're getting to be so grown-up. You're not a little boy anymore, are you? You're growing up to be a fine man, just like your dad."

"Mom, when is the funeral going to be?"

"I don't know yet, Chris. Dad and all of your uncles are going to talk about the plans tomorrow and figure out when to have it."

"Will Dad be able to go? Will Uncle Kelly let him out of the hospital for the funeral?"

"I'm sure he will, Chris. Uncle Kelly, Uncle Mike, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Dixie are all going to be at the funeral, so they'll be able to keep an eye on him." Joanne glanced at the clock. "Come on, it's way past your bedtime. Let's get you back in bed, okay?"

"Okay." Chris and Joanne walked down the hall to Chris' bedroom. After Chris had climbed into bed, Joanne pulled the covers up and kissed him goodnight. She then walked out of the room and closed the door. She walked down the hall and peeked into Jenny's room. She was still sound asleep. Joanne went back into her bedroom and once again shut the door.

Getting the kids into bed had been one of Johnny's favorite things to do when he was over at their house. She smiled as she thought back to the first time Johnny had put the kids into bed.

_flashback to 1969_

"Joanne, we're here." Roy announced as he and Johnny entered Roy's house

Johnny grinned his crooked grin and said, "Hi, Joanne. Thanks for the invitation" He stuck out his hand.

Joanne shook Johnny's hand. "Hello, Johnny. I've been bugging Roy to bring you over sometime. I'm glad he finally listened."

"Oh, it wasn't Roy's fault, Joanne. It's mine. Roy invited me, but I kept turning down the invitation. I didn't want you to have to go to any trouble."

"Johnny, you are my husband's partner. You'll never cause any trouble for me. I love to cook, so it's no problem to cook a little bit extra. I was so excited when Roy called to tell me that you were coming over tonight."

"Thanks." Johnny was about to say more when two little kids, a boy and a girl, came running into the room.

"Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" they shouted excitedly.

Roy knelt down to give his kids hugs. "Hi Jenny. Hi Chris. Were you two good for Mommy today?" he asked. They both nodded their heads vigorously. Roy laughed. "Would Mommy say the same thing?" Three pairs of eyes focused on Joanne.

She laughed and replied, "They were good today."

Chris and Jenny started jumping up and down. "Treat! Treat!" Jenny said excitedly.

"Yes, Jenny, you can have a treat." Roy said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out two stickers and handed one to Jenny and the other to Chris. "What do you say?"

"Thanks, Daddy!" They replied happily. They started to run off, but Roy stopped them.

"Wait. Before you go play, I want you to meet someone. Chris, Jenny, this is Mr. Gage. He's going to be Daddy's new partner."

"Are you a fireman too, Mr. Gage?" Chris asked.

Roy and Joanne laughed, but Johnny just smile and knelt down so he would be on the same level as Chris. "Yes, Chris, I'm a fireman just like your daddy. He and I are going to work together." He stood up and turned to Roy and Joanne. "Could your kids call me Uncle Johnny instead of Mr. Gage? That's what all of the kids at my old station used to call me."

Roy nodded. "Sure. That's fine with me. What about you, Joanne?"

"That sounds great. As a matter of fact, why don't we have them call all of your shift mates Uncle?"

"Sure. I'll have to let you meet all of the other guys at the station sometime."

"Why don't we have a picnic sometime? You can invite all the guys from the station as well as Drs. Brackett and Early and Miss McCall. How about Labor Day? Do you have to work that day?"

"Nope. I have it off this year. I'll check with Dix, Brackett, and Early and see if they have to work. If not, then Labor Day sounds great."

"Okay. Lunch is almost ready. Why don't you and Johnny go talk until it's ready?"

"Daddy! Will you play with me?" asked Chris, running into the room.

Roy looked at Johnny. "Go ahead, Roy. I'll help Joanne with dinner."

"Okay." Roy picked Chris up and swung him onto his back. He then galloped up the stairs.

Johnny turned to Joanne. "What can I do to help?" he asked.

"You don't have to help. I'm sure you must be tired after last night. Roy said that you guys got a lot of calls."

"It's okay. I'm used to it. Now, what can I do to help?"

"Well, I guess you could cut the cake I made for dessert."

"Okay. What kind of cake is it?" Johnny asked curiously.

"Chocolate."

"Really? I love chocolate!"

Joanne laughed. "I know. That's why I made it."

"Aww, you didn't have to go to all that trouble to make a cake for me, Joanne."

"I know that you don't get cake that often, so why don't you just cut it, okay? You wouldn't want all that hard work I did to go to waste, now would you?"

Johnny laughed. "No, I guess not." He followed Joanne into the kitchen, and after Joanne handed him a knife, started to cut the cake. "This looks delicious, Joanne."

"Thank you. If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to become a paramedic?"

"Well I was a rescue man at my old station, and on just about every serious rescue we went on, we ended up losing the patient because they didn't get to treatment soon enough. SO when I heard about the paramedic program, I decided to check into it and, well, you know the rest of the story from there."

Joanne nodded. "I'm glad you're Roy's partner. I feel better, knowing that he has someone like you to take care of him."

Johnny stopped cutting the cake and walked over to where Joanne was standing. "Joanne," he said softly, putting his hand on her arm. "As long as Roy and I are partners, Roy will always come home to you and the kids. I won't let anything happen to him. I promise."

Joanne's eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Johnny and hugged him. "Thank you, Johnny. That means so much to me." She gave Johnny a peck on the cheek, and then wiped away her tears. "Come on; let's get lunch on the table. We don't want it to get cold."

After they had eaten, Roy helped Joanne clean up while Johnny took the kids outside to play. "The kids sure took to Johnny quickly, didn't they?" Roy asked, looking out the window. Chris and Jenny were on the swings and Johnny was pushing them.

Joanne joined Roy at the window. "They sure did. You picked yourself a good partner there, Roy. I really like him, and it seems that the kids do, too."

Roy put an arm around his wife. "Yeah, I id, didn't I? I like him, too, Joanne. He's kind of like a brother to me. I have a feeling that we're going to see a lot of Johnny around here."

After dinner that night, Joanne told the kids, "Time for bed. Come on, let's go get changed and tuck you two in."

"No! I want to play with Uncle Johnny some more!" Chris insisted.

"Me too!" Jenny argued.

Roy was just about to tell them to listen to Joanne when Johnny said, "How about I put you two to bed? It's bedtime now, so we can't play anymore, but next time I come over we'll play some more, okay?"

Both Chris and Jenny agreed, so Johnny picked up Jenny, grabbed Chris' hand, and after taking them to Roy and Joanne to get their kisses and hugs, took the kids up the stairs. He got Jenny ready for bed first. "Alright, Jenny Bean, let's get you into bed." He picked her up, laid her in her bed, covered her up, and kissed her goodnight. "Goodnight, Jenny."

"Goodnight, Uncle Johnny." she replied.

Next it was Chris' turn. After Johnny helped him get ready for bed, Johnny covered him up and gave him a kiss as well. "Goodnight, Chris."

"Goodnight, Uncle Johnny." Chris replied.

Johnny shut the door to Chris' room, peeked in on Jenny, and after seeing that she was already asleep, shut her door and went back downstairs. "They're both in bed." He informed Roy and Joanne as he entered the living room, where they were sitting on the couch.

"Thanks, Johnny." Joanne said.

"You're welcome. I enjoyed it." Johnny looked at his watch and attempted to hide a yawn.

Roy smiled. "Looks like you better get to bed, too, Junior."

Johnny grinned. 'Yeah, I guess so, Pally. Goodnight, Roy, Goodnight, Joanne. Thanks for lunch and dinner. You're a wonderful cook, Joanne."

"Thanks, Johnny. You'll have to come over again sometime soon."

"I will. Goodnight." Johnny walked out the door, got into his Rover, and drove off.

_back to present day_

"Goodnight, Johnny, Goodnight, Roy." Joanne whispered as she climbed into bed. She soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning at 9 o'clock, true to their word, all of the guys from A-shift showed up at Roy's hospital room. "Hey, guys." Roy greeted them.

"Hey, Pal. Any word yet on whether or not Dr. Brackett is going to let you attend the funeral?" Hank asked.

"I think I can answer that question for you, Hank." Doctor Brackett said as he entered the room. "Hello everyone. In reply to your question, Hank, yes, Roy can go to the funeral. As a matter of fact, we're going to release him today."

"Really? I thought you said I'd be in here for another week or so. What happened?" Roy said.

Brackett gave Roy a little smile. "Dixie happened, that's what happened." She cornered me yesterday and insisted that you needed to be home with your family rather than here in the hospital. I have to say, I agree with her. Your whole family was close to Johnny. Joanne and the kids need you right now, and we really don't have any reason to keep you here. Besides, we need this room for someone that's sick."

Roy tried to smile but couldn't. That was the same thing that Dr. Brackett had said to Johnny the many times that he had ended up in the hospital. "Thanks, Doc. I'll call Joanne and let her know."

"No need for that, Roy. Why don't you let me take you home? We can surprise Joanne." Hank suggested. "We can move this meeting to your house too, if Joanne doesn't mind."

"That sounds good, Cap. I know that Joanne wouldn't mind. In fact, I think she'd like to be in on the arrangements, too."

"Okay, then, it's settled."

"I'll go get the paperwork for you to fill out, Roy." Brackett said. A few minutes later he came back, bringing not only the paperwork with him, but Dixie as well.

"Hey, Dix." The guys greeted her.

"Hello. I hear you're going to get to go home today, Roy."

"Yes, and I hear that I have you to thank for that. Thanks, Dix."

Dixie looked pointedly at Brackett, but he just ignored her. "Yeah, well it was kind of hard to talk your hard-headed, stubborn doctor into it, but I managed to convince him that you needed to be with your family."

Roy laughed, then handed Dixie the now completed paperwork. "Here you go. Can I leave now?"

"You sure can. The wheelchair's right outside the door. I'll go get it."

"Aww, Dix, do I have to use a wheelchair?" Roy complained.

Dixie smiled. She wasn't going to say anything, but just then Roy had reminded her so much of Johnny. He would have done the exact same thing. "No, I guess you don't. Just done let this get around, okay? It'd ruin my reputation around here."

Roy smiled. "Don't worry, Dix. Your secret's safe with me." He stood up from the chair that he'd been sitting in. "Will you still escort me to the car?"

"Of course. I couldn't think of anything else that I'd rather do." Dixie agreed.

Roy and Dixie started to leave the room, but then Brackett spoke up. "Dix, when you get back, could I see you in my office, please?"

Dixie looked at him strangely, but said, "Sure, Kel. I'll be back in a few minutes."

True to her word, Dixie was in Brackett's office a few minutes later. "Sit down, Dix." Brackett said, motioning towards the couch that was in his office. After she was seated, he sat down beside her, but didn't say anything.

"Kel, what's wrong?" Dixie asked, sensing that something was wrong.

Kel sighed. "I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this, Dix."

"Is it something about Roy?" she asked. When Kel shook his head, she said, "Something about you?"

Kel nodded. "Yes, it's about me. It concerns you, too, though."

Dix laid her hand on Kel's leg. "Kel, what's wrong? Please tell me."

"Well, I guess it's not so much that something's wrong, but I do need to talk to you about something." Kel rubbed his temples, trying to think of where to start. "Dix, the day that Johnny was brought in here, I could immediately tell that he wasn't going to pull through this time. Still, I tried my best to prove myself wrong. It was Johnny who kept me from trying any harder than I did. He asked me to let him go. He said that he was ready. He then said something to me that I'll never forget. He said, 'Doc, I didn't get what I wanted, but I want you to get what you want.' When I asked him what he was talking about, he told me to think about it. I left the room then to let everyone say there goodbyes to him, but when it came time for me to say goodbye, he said, 'I need you to take my advice for a change. You and Dixie are made for each other. She's going to need you, Doc. Be there for her, please? The two of you should get married. You both love each other. I wish I could be there.' "

Dixie sat there in silence for a little while, and then started laughing softly. "Johnny was a matchmaker to the very end, wasn't he?" When she saw the confused look on Kel's face, she explained. "You see, when I went in to tell Johnny goodbye he told me, 'Dix, you and Brackett need to stop fooling around and get together. You two are meant for each other, and I know you're in love.' I had no idea that he had told you practically the same thing."

"Dix, I don't want you to think that I'm asking this just to respect Johnny's wishes, but do you think that we could try our relationship again? I know that it didn't work out the first time, but maybe it will this time. I've thought long and hard about what Johnny said, and I've come to realize that he's right. I do love you, Dix. I've always loved you. Please, Dix, can't we try again?"

Dixie had tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Kel, you don't know how long I've waited to hear you say those words. I want to try again. I want our relationship to work out this, because I love you, too. I loved you the first time we tried, but when we broke it off, I figured you didn't feel the same about me. I love you so much, Kel."

"Dix, please don't cry." Kel pleaded. "If I'd known how much you wanted to hear me say 'I love you' I would have said it much sooner. You know, if we love each other, why do we need to try our relationship again?" He slipped off the couch and got down on one knee. "Dixie McCall, will you marry me? I don't have a ring to offer you, but I can offer you my heart. Will you take it? I love you, Dixie."

"Oh, Kel!" Dixie breathed.

"Oh, Kel, what? Is that a yes?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes, I'll marry you! Yes, I'll take you're heart! I don't care about whether or not you have a silly old ring. You're all I need, Kel, just you."

Kel got up and wrapped his arms around her. "Do you really mean that, Dix? After everything I put you through last time?"

Dixie gladly surrendered to Kel's embrace. "Of course I mean it! I love you so much. Besides, it wasn't' just your fault that our relationship didn't work last time. It was mine, too. I didn't try hard enough. I meant every word that I said, Kel."

"Even about the ring?" Kel asked jokingly.

"Well, a ring would be nice. But even if I never get a ring, I'll still be just as happy. Just as long as I have you."

"Why don't we go tell everyone the good news?"

"But, Kel, everyone is either home or at Roy's house, remember? Joe has today off, and so does Mike."

"We can go over to Roy's house. I forgot to tell you that Joe called while you were with Roy. He was supposed to come here and help with the arrangements, but he was running late. I told him everyone was going over to Roy's, so he went over there. He was supposed to pick Mike up, so he was going to call him and let him know." Kel looked at his watch. "They should be at Roy's by now. Come on, this hospital can survive without for the rest of the day. I'll go let everyone know that we're leaving. Go wait by my car. I'll drive you. We can stop by and pick up your car later."

Dixie agreed, so Kel went to let Carol and the other doctors on duty know that he and Dixie were leaving for the day. When he got out to the parking lot, Dixie was standing by his car. He unlocked the car, then opened Dixie's door for her. After she got in, he shut the door, went around the car, and got in on his side.

A few minutes later, they were pulling up in front of Roy's house. Kel and Dixie got out of the car, then went up and rang Roy's doorbell. Joanne opened the door. "Dr. Brackett, Dixie, come in." she invited.

"Thanks, Joanne." Dixie smiled.

"Everyone's in the living room. Are you two on your break or are you off for the day?" Joanne asked as she led them to join everyone else.

"We're off for the day. Are you and the kids enjoying having Roy home?" asked Brackett.

"Yes, we are. The kids were so surprised when their Uncle Hank pulled up in front of the house and Daddy got out. I had a hard time keeping them in the house." Brackett and Dixie laughed. By this time they had arrived at the living room. "Hey everyone, look who I found on the doorstep."

Everyone in the living room turned around and looked at where Joanne was standing. They were all surprised when they saw Dr. Brackett and Dixie standing beside her.

"Kel! Dixie! I thought you both had to work all day today." Dr. Early said, surprised.

"Well, we had a slight change of plans." Brackett said. "In fact, Dixie and I have something to tell all of you." At the serious look on Brackett's face, every one got very quiet and looked at Brackett and Dixie expectantly. Brackett was quiet for a few minutes, then broke out into a huge smile and said, "I asked Dixie to marry me, and she said yes!" He and Dixie laughed at the shocked looks on everyone's faces.

Roy was the first to speak up. "Well, I must admit, this is a bit unexpected, but, congratulations! I know that you two will be very happy together."

"Don't you mean, make each other equally miserable, Roy?" Dr. Early asked jokingly. Dixie turned to glare at him. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I was just kidding, Dix. I really am happy for you and Kel."

After everyone got a chance to congratulate them, Dixie and Brackett sat down and helped with funeral plans. "What have you gotten done so far?" Brackett asked.

"Not much. We had really just gotten started when you and Dixie got here." Roy replied. "I was actually just about open up an envelope that contains his funeral plans. He told me about it awhile ago. He made it out when he first became a first became a firefighter, and he's been updating it ever since." Roy opened it up and pulled out four sheets of paper. He looked all of them over first, then said, "The top piece of paper is a letter. It's addressed to all of us who worked with him at Station 51. The next sheet is a letter to Dixie, and Dr.'s Brackett, Early, and Morton. The next sheet is his wishes for his funeral."

"What's the fourth sheet, Roy?" asked Captain Stanley.

"It's addressed to you, Cap." Roy replied. He handed it over to him, and then handed Johnny's letter to his coworkers at Rampart to Dixie. "Do you want to read the letters now, or do you want to start on the funeral plans?"

'Why don't we start on the funeral plans now, Pal? If we read the letters now, then we may not feel like making funeral plans." Cap suggested.

"Okay. Let's see here, I'll just read this out loud. It will be easier this way." Roy cleared his throat, then started to read the paper that had Johnny's funeral plans on it.

" 'I have purchased a plot in Mountain Ridge Cemetery in which to be buried.' There's a plot number and other information pertaining to it beneath that. 'If I died in the line of duty, it's up to the men of Station 51 to decide if I should get a funeral with honors. If not, then I would like just a simple, everyday funeral. No honors or anything else like that. Save it for the guys that deserve it. I would like Captain Hank Stanley and Roy DeSoto, as well as the other men from Station 51, Dixie and the docs if they so desire, to say something. Since I have no living relatives, I would like the DeSotos, as well as my family from Station 51, to receive all the honors that the family usually would. Any other arrangements that need to be made may be made by the DeSotos, or by my Station 51 and Rampart family.' That's the end of his wishes."

Roy set the piece of paper on the table and looked up at everyone. "Well, what do you think? Should we give Johnny a funeral with all the honors?"

"Yes. He deserves it. I know that it might not be what he would have chosen, but people need to know that he was a hero." Chet said emphatically.

"Chet's right. Johnny does deserve to be buried with honors. After all, he was one of the first paramedics, and he was definitely one of the best." Marco said.

"Marco and Chet are right. If we don't have a funeral with full honors for Johnny, it will seem as if we're being disrespectful to his memory. Half of the Los Angles County Fire Department is going to show up anyway, so it's not like any more people are going to show up than if we just gave Johnny a regular funeral." Mike stated.

"You're all right. What do you think about it, Cap?" Roy asked.

"Do you men feel up to having a funeral with full honors? It's going to be a lot more taxing on you than just a normal funeral would be." Cap replied.

"I know that I'm up to it, Cap. I just can't see doing it any other way." Chet said emphatically.

"Marco, Roy, Mike, what about you guys? Do you feel the same way as Chet?" After receiving nods from all three men, Cap said, "I feel the same as all of you. I can't imagine it any other way. You do realize this is going to take more planning, don't you?"

They all nodded. "We realize that, Cap. We're prepared to do the extra planning." Roy replied.

Captain Stanley turned to Dixie, Brackett, Early, and Morton. "I know that Johnny would like you four to be involved in his funeral as well. Any ideas?"

"In what ways can we be involved, Hank?" Dixie asked.

Captain Stanley shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. We've never had a department funeral with hospital staff involved in it before. As far as I know, there's no limits on what you can or can't do, except, of course, any thing that requires you to be a firefighter, like ride in or drive an engine or squad."

"Well, I don't know about the others, but I'm more than willing to say something about Johnny at the funeral. There's a procession past the station to the cemetery after the service, right?"

Captain Stanley nodded. "Yes, but you're not required to participate in that. You can drive instead."

"I think I'd like to be involved in the procession. If there's anything else I can do, just let me know."

"Okay, thanks, Dixie. Dr. Brackett, what about you?"

"Well, I'm willing to say something at the funeral and I want to participate in the procession as well."

"Okay. What about you, Dr. Early?"

"I can do the same thing as Dixie and Kel."

"Me too." Morton spoke up.

"Okay, then. The three of you will be seated by Joanne and the kids during the funeral, along with my wife and Mike's wife. My kids will be sitting next to Emily. What about your kids, Mike? Will they be there?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, they wouldn't have it any other way."

They went on planning for another few hours. Finally, they were almost done. "Okay, the only thing left to do now is pick the date." Cap said with a sigh. "I got a list from Headquarters on what dates we can do a Department Funeral." He scanned it quickly. "Okay, the rest of this week is open, so there's no conflict there. What about the rest of you? Is there any day that we can't do it on?" Everyone shook their heads. "Okay, then, let's do it this Saturday. That way the kids don't have to miss school. That gives us plenty of time to notify everyone, too."


	6. The Funeral, Part 1

-1Captain Stanley stood looking out the window. It was Saturday morning, the day of Johnny's funeral. He sighed. It was going to be a long, hard day for everyone involved.

His wife, Emily, came and stood beside him. 'Hank?" she asked softly.

He put his arm around her. "What is it, Em?"

"Are you going to be okay? I don't mean just today, either. You've been so different since Johnny died. So sad and pensive. It's almost like Johnny's death hurt you in a way that you'll never be able to recover from."

Hank sighed. "I know, Emily, and I'm sorry. It's just so hard to think that Johnny's dead and never coming back. He was like a son to me. He and I were a lot closer than most people knew. In addition to that, it's the first time that I've ever lost a man. I feel somehow responsible for his death."

"Hank, there was nothing you could do. It wasn't your fault."

"I know that, Em, I really do. It's just hard to lose one of your men, especially as close as our shift was. It's hard any time, but when your shift is like a family like ours was, it's even harder. I have a feeling that it's never going to be the same again. Emily, Chief McConikee called me yesterday. He said that there's a Battalion Chief position open. I want to take it, but I can't. I'd feel like I was deserting my men. I can't do that to them, not right now. This is when they're going to need me the most. I can't stick Roy with a new partner and a new Captain, or any of the other guys for that matter."

"Hank, maybe you should talk to the guys about it. They might be more understanding than you think. Maybe some of them are ready to move on as well. Like you said, it's never going to be the same around the firehouse, and they know it too."

"You're right, I should, but I just can't even think of bringing it up right now. Maybe in a few days." Hank looked at his watch. "Why don't you go get the girls up? I'd better start getting ready."

Emily went down the hall to wake up the girls while Hank got his dress uniform out of the closet. He had ironed it last night, so he took it off the hanger and put it on. When he was done putting it on, he grabbed his badge off his dresser along with the small black band of fabric lying next to it. With tears in his eyes, he slipped the small band over the badge, then pinned the badge onto his uniform. Hearing footsteps coming toward his room, he quickly brushed the tears away and turned around. A knock sounded on his bedroom door. "Come in." he said, turning towards the door.

The door opened and his daughters, Kristina and Amanda, came in. "Hi, Dad." they said.

Hank was surprised. The girls were already dressed and had their hair done. It was obvious that they had gotten up early this morning. "Kristy, Mandy, you look beautiful. You both look so grown up."

Kristy walked over to her dad and gave him a hug. "Dad, we practically are grown up. I'll be 18 in just two more months, and Mandy will be 17 next week."

"I know. I just have a hard time remembering."

Mandy walked over to Hank as well. "How are you doing, Daddy?" she asked.

Hank managed a small smile. That was his Mandy, always worried about how everyone else was doing. "Yeah, I'm doing okay, sweetheart. How about you and Kristy? How are you two doing?"

"I'm doing okay for right now, Dad. I'm not sure how I'll be doing after the funeral, but right now I'm okay." Kristy said.

"I'm doing okay, too, Dad. I miss Uncle Johnny, though." Mandy said.

"I know, Mandy, I miss him, too. We all do, and I have a feeling that it's going to take awhile before we're used to him not being here. Where's Mom?"

"She's in the kitchen making breakfast." Kristy answered.

"Okay, why don't you two go take over for her so that she can get ready, okay?"

"Okay, Dad." they both replied.

A few minutes later, Emily came into the bedroom. "You didn't have to send the girls to help, Hank. I could have finished making breakfast and still had time to get ready." she scolded gently.

"I know, but they needed something to do. They're trying not to be too sad, and having nothing to do just makes them think about it even more." Hank defended himself.

"That's true. You look very nice in your dress uniform. It's been awhile since you've worn it."

"I haven't had reason to wear it for awhile. I haven't participated in any funerals recently, and there haven't been any ceremonies that I've had to attend." He looked down at the uniform. "I never imagined last time I put this away that the next time I'd be wearing it would be to the funeral of one of my men."

Emily laid a comforting hand on his arm. "Hank, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not your fault. You did everything you could to get Johnny out from under that beam quickly. All of your men have told me that. Maybe you should read the letter that Johnny wrote to you. Maybe that would help."

Hank glanced at the sheet of paper on his dresser, in the same place today as he had thrown after getting home from Roy's the day they planned the funeral. "No. I can't read it. I still hurt too much."

"Hank-"

"No, Emily." Hank said forcefully. "I'm not ready to read it."

Emily reached over and grabbed the letter, and before Hank could stop her, started reading it aloud to him.

"Dear-"

Hank grabbed the letter out of her hands. "Okay, I'll read it. Just let me be by myself when I read it, okay? Maybe later I'll tell you what he said in it, okay?"

Emily nodded, grabbed her clothes sp she could change in either Kristy or Mandy's room, and started to leave. Hank stopped her. "Emily, I'm sorry. I know that I haven't been easy to live with recently. I'll try to do better, okay?"

Emily gave him a kiss. "Hank, it's okay. I understand. I'm here to talk if you ever feel like talking." She walked out of their bedroom, leaving Hank alone to read his letter.

_Dear Cap,_

_Since you're reading this, I must be dead. If you're reacting to my death the way I think you will, you've probably been a grouch ever since you found out. If I died in the line of duty, then you're probably beating yourself up over it. Stop. I can guarantee it's not your fault. You always did everything in your power to keep each and every one of us safe, and I know that wasn't always easy, especially with me being as accident-prone as I was. _

_You were the best captain I ever had. I loved working under you. You actually cared about us, which is a lot more than I can say about some captains. When I first heard that we were getting a new captain, I have to admit I was kind of nervous. I've had some bad experiences with captains before, so I wasn't sure what you would be like. When you first arrived, I was nervous, but I could tell that you were going to be a very good captain. I was right. You immediately made me, as well as everyone else, feel at ease. You fit right in, and we all grew very close to each other._

_You were like a father to me, Cap. I appreciated knowing that I could come to you and talk if something was bothering me, or if I just wanted to talk. Your door was always open to any of us. I enjoyed the many times when I was invited over to your house. I felt like a part of the family. Seeing you, Emily, and the girls always made me happy. I knew that I could always come over, no matter what time it was, and I'd be welcome._

The writing changed after that paragraph. Hank tried to figure out whose writing it was, and then realized that it was Dixie's. There was a date in front of the next paragraph. It was the same date as the day that Johnny died. Evidently he had dictated the rest of the letter to Dixie after he had been examined.

_Cap, I'll understand if you can't stay on as a captain at 51s. I know that it's going to be hard on everyone there to go back to work without the complete crew, but especially on you. You cared about each and every one of us as an individual. If a Battalion Chief's position comes open, I think you should take it. The other guys will understand, I know they will. In fact, I have a feeling that they're all going to want to move on as well. Roy's not going to be able to work with another partner, at least not at the same station. I have a feeling that Chet and Marco will take the engineer's test, and Mike will probably take the captain's test. I feel bad for breaking up one of the best teams in the county, but I guess it's time that we all go your separate ways. I do want one thing, though. I want you to keep in touch with all the guys and check up on them. They're going to need you, Cap._

_I don't have enough strength left to write more, but I do want you to know that I have set up trust funds for Kristy and Mandy. I don't care what they use them for, but I want them to have that money. Tell the girls and Emily how much I love them._

_John _

Hank wiped his tears away. Everything in that letter reminded him of Johnny. He didn't know where Johnny had gotten enough money to give both his girls trust funds, but he had a pretty good idea that there was a substantial amount in them. Johnny never did anything small. More than likely, he'd left trust funds for the Gage and Stoker kids as well. He folded up the piece of paper and laid it back on his dresser. He glanced at the clock. It was almost time to leave. He left the room and went in search of his wife and daughters. He found them cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast. "Are you girls almost ready to go?" he asked in what he hoped was a normal sounding voice.

"We're all ready, Hank. Don't you want to grab a bite to eat before we leave?" Emily asked. "You're going to need your strength today."

"What did you have?" Hank asked.

"Egg sandwiches. Here, I stuck one in a bag for you. That way you can eat it quickly once we get to the church."

Hank smiled. His wife had taken care of two of his pet peeves. The first one is that she didn't suggest he eat it while she drove. He hated it when anyone else drove, unless , of course, it was Mike driving the engine at the station. The second one was that she didn't suggest he eat it while he drove. He hated it when anyone ate while driving. He'd seen it cause too many traffic accidents. "Okay, that sounds good. Come on, let's get in the car."

When they arrived at the church, Hank saw that Roy his family had just gotten there as well. "Hi, Cap." Roy said.

"Hi, Roy. Anyone else here yet?" he asked, his eyes already scanning to see if he could spot someone familiar.

"Chief McConikee is here, and some of the firefighters are starting to arrive. Chet called before I left, said that he was running a little bit late, but he'd be here in plenty of time. I'm not sure about Marco, though. He has to pick up his mom, but I'm sure he'll be here soon." Roy replied.

"Where's the chief? I need to talk to him."

"He's inside already, talking to the minister." Roy replied. After Hank had headed inside, Roy turned to Emily. "How has he been doing?" he asked.

Emily managed a small smile. "So far he's holding up okay. He read the letter this morning, and that seemed to help some. It's been a rough morning, though."

"How about you and the girls? How are you holding up?"

"Right now, we're fine. I'm not sure I'll be able to say the same thing once the funeral starts, but right now I can honestly saying that we're holding up okay."

Roy gave her a hug. "Joanne, Chris, and Jenny are already inside. I think you and Joanne could use each other's company right now, and I know that Jenny will be happy to see Mandy and Kristy."

"Okay. Thanks Roy." Emily headed inside, and Kristy and Mandy started to follow, but Roy stopped them.

"Hi, Girls. How are you holding up?" He asked them.

"I'm doing okay, Uncle Roy. It's just hard to believe that this is actually Uncle Johnny's funeral, and not one of the countless other firefighter's funerals that we've attended over the years." Kristy replied. "I must admit, I'll be glad when the funeral is over. Maybe then we can start the healing process."

"You let me or Aunt Joanne know if you need anything, okay Kristy?"

"I will, Uncle Roy." Kristy replied. Roy pulled her into a hug, then she went inside.

"How about you, Mandy?" Roy asked. "You've been awfully quiet so far. That's not like you."

"I'm fine, Uncle Roy. It's just that…"

"It's just that what?" Roy pried gently. "Come on, Mandy. What's wrong?"

Mandy looked up at Roy, her eyes filled with tears. "It's just that I miss Uncle Johnny so much, and I don't see why he had to die! He was always so good to everyone. Why did it have to be him that died, and not someone else?"

Roy pulled Mandy into a hug and held her for a few minutes. He had somehow known that Mandy would react that way. "Shh, Mandy, it's okay. Chris asked the same question. I told him that Uncle Johnny died because he was too good to stay here on earth, so he had to go to heaven. Chris only accepted that answer because Jenny was there, but I don't think you're going to accept it, so I'll tell you the truth. I don't know why Johnny had to die. I don't know why God would take him when he's done so much good for others. But I do know this. Your Uncle Johnny hated to see you cry, so he'd hate it that you were crying now. Uncle Johnny was ready to go, and we have to accept that. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know it's hard. Johnny was my best friend, as well as my partner. But I do know that wishing him back here is not what Johnny would want us to do. He'd want us to go on with our lives as much as we can. Does that help?"

Mandy nodded and brushed her tears away. "Thanks, Uncle Roy."

Roy kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome, Mandy Bear." he said, using the nickname he'd given her when she was little. "Remember, what I said to Kristy applies to you, too. If you ever need anything, let me or Aunt Joanne know."

"I will, Uncle Roy." She then rushed inside so she'd have enough time to freshen up in the bathroom before Jenny spotted her.

The next to arrive were Mike and his family. "Hi, Roy." Mike said as he got out of the car.

"Hi, Mike, Beth, boys." he said.

"Hi, Uncle Roy." Mike's boys, Logan and Ross, responded.

"Hello, Roy." said Beth. "Boys, why don't you go find Chris? I'm sure that he's longing for some male company, especially since I see the Stanleys beat us here."

"Yes, ma'am." They replied, heading inside. Beth followed them

"Those two have grown into some fine young men, Mike."

"I know. It's hard to believe that Logan will be heading off to college this fall, and that Ross will be a senior in highschool. They're growing up so fast."

"I know it. Chris will be in a freshman this fall, and Jenny's going to be in sixth grade. It seems like only yesterday Chris was heading off to kindergarten."

"I know what you mean, Roy. Just wait, before too long Jenny will be graduating from college and getting married."

"Please don't rush it! I'm not ready for that yet. Chris started liking girls last year, and he has his eye on a certain one, so I have a feeling he'll have a girlfriend before too long."

"Don't worry. It's not as bad as it sounds. Logan and Ross's girlfriends have all been really sweet. Just remember what it was like when you and Joanne were dating and you'll do fine."

"Mike, how are you doing?" Roy asked him, ready to stop pretending it was just a normal day.

"Do you want to hear what I'm telling everyone else, or do you want to hear the truth? If you want to hear what I'm telling everyone, then, I'm doing fine. It's going to be hard to get through the day, but after that things will start getting back to normal. If you want to hear the truth, then, I'm doing horrible and I don't know how I'm going to make it through that rest of today, much less tomorrow or the next, or our first shift for that matter. What about you?"

"Well, about the same as you. I'm telling everyone else that I'm going to be fine, but deep down inside I know that I'm never going to be okay again. Nothing's ever going to be the same, Mike. Nothing. I'm thinking about taking the next engineer's position that comes available. I can't bear the thought of riding in the squad without Johnny, or of treating a patient without Johnny. I just can't bear the thought of having a different partner."

"Well, I have a feeling a few of engineer positions are going to come open pretty soon. I heard one of the engineers over at 21s talking about retiring pretty soon, as well as 14s engineer, and then 20s engineer just made captain. There's another position coming open pretty soon, too."

"Where's the other position?"

"I'm going to take the Captain's test tomorrow, Roy. I've heard of a few captain's positions open, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I can't stay at 51s. Not without Johnny. It's either take the captain's test or transfer. I'll transfer if I have too, but I'd rather have to go to a different station because I made captain."

"I was thinking about transferring, too, but then I realized that would be just as hard as if I just stayed at 51s. I doubt I'll be taking your engineer position, but, hey who knows? AS a matter of fact, I might try for that captain's test myself. I'm already certified as an engineer, so I can take it. Johnny and I always talked about becoming captains someday."

"What's this talk about transferring and taking tests?" Chet asked, surprising both Mike and Roy. Neither one had hear him pull up.

Mike and Roy looked at each other guiltily for a few seconds before Mike answered Chet. "Neither one of us can bear the thought of staying at 51s without Johnny, so we're both going to take the captain's test tomorrow. If Roy doesn't pass, then he's going to take an engineer's position somewhere else. I'm sorry you had to overhear us, Chet. We weren't planning on telling anyone until it was official."

"That's okay, Mike. Actually, I took the engineer's test yesterday and passed with flying colors. So did Marco. We're planning on transferring as well. Don't tell anyone, but we saw Cap coming out of the room where the chief's test was being given. I looked at the results of the chief's test after Marco and I found out we'd passed, and Cap passed the chief's test. He's planning on leaving, too."

"Kelly, you twit, why don't you mind your own business next time." Mike, Roy, and Chet turned around to see Cap standing behind them. "I hadn't decided if I was going to take a chief's position or not. I just took the test. Now what's all this about me leaving too? Who else is planning on leaving?" Cap looked between the three of them, waiting for an answer.

"Well, we all are, Cap." Roy replied. "Nothing's official yet, but none of us feel as if we can stay at 51s without Johnny."

Cap's look softened. "I know what you mean, Pal. That's the only reason why I was thinking about taking a Battalion Chief position."

"Was? Does that mean you're not going to?" Mike asked.

"Well, up until a few minutes ago, I wasn't. But I just got done talking to McConikee about it, and then I heard all of you talking about leaving, so I think I am going to take it. I definitely couldn't stay there if all of you left in addition to Johnny being gone. But what do you say we try something first? We'll give it one month of working together without Johnny, then we'll make our final decisions? That way we don't do something we'll later regret. Okay?"

"Sure, Cap."

"Sounds good, Cap."

"Okay, I'll give it a try, Cap."

"Good. Now the only person left to agree is Marco, and I'm sure he'll be more than willing to do it if the rest of you are. Speaking of Marco, where is he? I would have thought he'd be here by now." Cap said, looking at his watch and frowning.

Just then, Marco pulled into the parking lot, and, after helping his mother get out of the car, came over to them. "Sorry, Cap, guys. I got caught in traffic on the way to picking Mamma up."

"That's okay, Marco. Now come on, fellas, we'd better get inside. Most of the people are here already."

Twenty minutes later the service started. "I didn't know John Gage well," said the pastor, whose name was Nathan Finley. "We used to get a cup of coffee together at the diner down the street. It became a tradition for us to meet there on his days off to chat over a sup of coffee. About a year ago, John said that he was updating his will and asked if I would officiate his funeral if anything happened to him. Of course, I said yes. I knew that since he was a firefighter there was a very real chance that someday I'd would have to officiate his funeral, but the day that I got the phone call from Miss Dixie McCall, a mutual friend, saying that he had died, I couldn't believe it. As I started preparing for his funeral, I realized how little I really knew about him. Because of this, I'm going to let those who knew him best, his friends, his co-workers, his adopted "family", tell you about him. Captain Stanley, if you would come now, please."

Hank made his way up to the platform. Once he was up there, he took a moment to look over the crowd before beginning his speech. The church, St. Peter's, was by no means a small church, but it was packed full of people. On one side sat a sea of firefighters in dress uniforms. In the very first pew on that side sat his crew, along with Chief McConikee. On the other side of the auditorium, the pews were filled with friends of Johnny, and with people whose lives he had touched. In front few pew on that side sat Joanne, Chris, and Jennifer, along with Dixie, and Dr. Brackett. Directly behind them sat Emily, Kristy, and Mandy, along with Dr. Early and Dr. Morton. Behind them were Mike's wife Beth, his two sons, and Marco's mother.

Hank took a deep breath, and then began. "I am Captain Hank Stanley. I was Johnny's captain over at Station 51 for nine years. During that time, Johnny and I grew to be very close. Johnny was an excellent firefighter, as well as one of the bests paramedics. He, along with his partner Roy DeSoto, were some of the first paramedics. At station 51, we soon became a family. In addition to spending time together on shift, we would get together at each other's houses on our days off. Johnny was a frequent visitor to my house. Anytime he came over, he would sit down and, when they were younger, play with my daughters. He didn't care what they were playing, whether it was dolls, or tea parties, or dress-up. The girls loved it when their Uncle Johnny played with them. As they got older, the playing turned into talks. They would go to their Uncle Johnny about boys, about problems with friends, anything that they wanted advice on. He loved spending time with them. Not only would he spend time playing and talking with the girls, but he was always willing to help Emily in the Kitchen. Whether it was doing dishes or helping prepare the meal, he was always ready to pitch in and help. At the firehouse, it was the same way. He was always willing to lend a hand whenever needed, and he would always work overtime for someone who was sick or had a family emergency. As a paramedic, he was one of the best. He and Roy made a very efficient team. He saved a countless number of lives because of his training. He was always very gentle with his patients, and they would trust him almost right away, especially when he flashed his famous Gage smile. As a firefighter, he was just as good. He always pulled his own weight and was never afraid to get his hands dirty. Johnny was always willing to help his friends, even if it meant putting himself in danger. Many of the times he was injured, it was because he was trying to keep someone else from harm. He died because he saved the life of a friend. There's a verse in the Bible that says this: 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' Johnny did just that. He laid down his own life so that Roy DeSoto could live. Johnny truly had that great love. He will be sorely missed, both as a friend and a co-worker. Goodbye, Johnny. We will never forget what you did."

When Captain Stanley's speech was finished, everyone in the auditorium started clapping. Suddenly, the men of Station 51 stood up. Soon, everyone in the auditorium was on their feet clapping. As he walked back to his seat, tears started streaming down his face. He had borne his heart out up there, and everything he had said was true. When he sat down, all of his men laid a hand on him and gave him an encouraging word. All of them had tears in their eyes as well.

Pastor Finley stepped back up to the front. "Thank-you, Captain Stanley. Next we will hear from Miss Dixie McCall, a nurse at Rampart General Hospital who worked closely with Johnny and was also a very close friend."

Dixie stepped up on the platform. "When I first met Johnny, he was in training to be a paramedic. The Wedworth-Townsend Act had not yet passed, so paramedics could not legally work in the field without medical supervision.. For him to be willing to train to do something when there was a chance that he'd never be able to do was a very big step. Not many people that I know would be willing to do that. When I met him, I could tell right away that if the legislation did pass, he would become one of the best. There was something about him that spoke of how much he cared about people. He told me once why he had decided to become a paramedic,. He said, 'I want to be able to save lives. I'm tired of being a rescue man, and then seeing the person that I rescued die because we couldn't get them to medical attention fast enough.' Johnny cared about each and every person he treated. He cared about his friends, too. If a friend was hurting, Johnny knew about it, and he was there doing everything he could to make it better. Over the years, Johnny and I came to be good friends. He was like a brother to me. He would come over occasionally and just talk. He always seemed to know when something was bothering or when I just needed to talk. He was the person that I would go to when I needed cheering up. Johnny Gage was a one-of -a-kind person. No one will ever be able to replace him, as a friend or a firefighter-paramedic. Johnny, you will always be in our hearts."

Dixie was in tears by this time. When she got back to her seat, she willingly surrendered to Kelly Brackett's open arms for comfort.

Next, it was Mike's turn to speak.

"I worked with Johnny for almost ten years, and never have I seen someone who cared as much about others as Johnny did. He was an excellent firefighter, and one of the best paramedics in the program. He loved what he did. Every time he and Roy came back from a rescue that turned out well, you could tell it just by the look on his face. The same thing was true when a rescue didn't turn out well. Johnny cared personally about each victim he came in contact with. There were times when he would sit by the phone waiting for it ring with information on a victim that he and Roy had taken to Rampart. Johnny considered all of us at the station, as well as Dixie and the doctors at Rampart, to be his family. Johnny had lost his parents, the only family he had, when he was 18, so on holidays, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Memorial Day, he would invite all of us over to his ranch to celebrate. Whenever he invited everyone over, he always made it a point to spend time with the kids as well as the adults. He would spend many hours playing with my two sons, along with Roy and Captain Stanley's kids. He taught my boys how to play football, ride a horse, play baseball, and many other things. He'd sometimes take them hiking, as well as taking them on camping trips. Johnny always made sure that all of the kids were included in the festivities, from the youngest to the oldest. It's not going to be the same around the station without him."

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: DOn't worry, I'll get the rest of the funeral up soon! It was too long to put all in one chapter.


	7. The Funeral, Part 2

A/N: At first I was just going to keep this chapter short and make the rest of it into a different chapte, but that other chapter would have been way too short. Even if you've already read the beginning of this chapter, please reread it, as i've extended it. Please R & R!!

* * *

When Mike finished his eulogy, Pastor Finley stepped up to the front once again. "I know that in the program it says that Dr. Kelly Brackett is to speak next, but there's been a slight change to that. Just before the service, Christopher and Jenny DeSoto, son and daughter of Roy DeSoto, Johnny's partner, asked if they could say something and then read a poem in honor of their Uncle Johnny. I agreed, so Chris, Jenny, you may come on up now."

Chris and Jenny made their way up to the platform. Everyone, including Roy and Joanne, was shocked. They had no idea what the two children had been planning. Once he and Jenny were on the platform, Chris began to speak.

"Jenny and I loved Uncle Johnny very much. He'd always play and talk with us when he came over. As I got older, I realized that he and Dad put themselves in danger to help others. Each time Uncle Johnny, Dad, or one of my other "uncles" got hurt, it scared me. I knew that one of them could die or be hurt really bad some time, but I never wanted to admit it. Then, one day the phone rang. When I answered it, Aunt Dixie asked to talk to Mom. I could tell by her voice that something was wrong, so after Mom picked up the other phone, I picked the phone I had answered back up. I heard Aunt Dixie crying. Aunt Dixie almost never cries, so I knew something was really wrong. I stayed on the other phone and listened as Aunt Dixie talked to Mom. She said that Dad and Uncle Johnny had been hurt and that she needed to get to the hospital right away. Mom hung up right after that, so I did too. Mom came to tell Jenny and me that she had to go somewhere. I acted like nothing was wrong, but I knew that either Dad or Uncle Johnny, or maybe even both, had been hurt really bad. It was then that I realized that death wasn't just something that could happen, it was something that more than likely would happen. When Mom took Jenny and I to the hospital and she and Dad told us that Uncle Johnny was dead, it hurt. I cried a lot, but then Uncle Kel and Aunt Dixie talked to me. They said that Uncle Johnny would have at the very least been in a wheelchair if he had lived, and possible would have been completely paralyzed. They also said that he would have been in a lot of pain. I knew that Uncle Johnny wouldn't have wanted that, and neither did I, so that helped some. It still hurts, though. I loved Uncle Johnny a lot, and I miss him so much. But I know that he's happier where he is, and he's watching over all of us from heaven. Uncle Johnny, I don't think I'll ever stop missing you, and I know I'll never forget you, but I still love you. Thank you for loving me and Jenny, and watch over Dad and all of our uncles when they go fight fires."

Chris then took Jenny's hand, and together they recited the poem "Remember Me"

Remember me with smiles and laughter,

'Cause that's how I'll remember you all.

If you can only remember me with tears,

Then don't remember me at all.

Remember me and all the good times we had,

But just remember the good, not the bad.

Remember me and the life I was given to live,

I pray I did some good with what I had to give.

Remember me when you see the people on the street,

And give a kind word to everyone you meet.

Then when the day comes and your duty here is through,

Remember that I'll be waiting up in Heaven to welcome you.

When they had finished, it was Jenny's turn to say something about Johnny.

"I loved Uncle Johnny very much. Whenever he came over to our house, he would always spend time with Chris and me. When Mom and Dad told Chris and me that Uncle Johnny had dies, I couldn't understand why. Why would God want Uncle Johnny to die when he's helped so many people? Why couldn't he have lived? Chris asked Dad, and the answer that he gave us is that Uncle Johnny was too good to stay here any longer. I think Dad was trying to convince himself of that at the time, and that's why he gave us an answer like that. But I think the true answer is that Uncle Johnny had done what he was here for. He saved my Dad's life, and I'm very glad. I think that maybe God had him here so that he would be there when my Dad needed him. Uncle Johnny, you will never be forgotten by anyone. You may be in heaven, but you'll still live on in our hearts. Thank you for being there for Dad when he needed you the most."

As Chris and Jenny walked off the stage, there was not a dry eye in the church. Everyone knew how special Chris and Jenny had been to Johnny, and how special Johnny was to them. When Chris and Johnny were back in their seats, Pastor Finley went up to the front again.

"Johnny trained as a paramedic under Dr. Kelly Brackett, and although the two didn't hit it off right away, they later became very close friends. They worked together for the nine years that Johnny was a paramedic and developed a very close relationship both as colleagues and as friends. Dr. Brackett, would you come?"

Kel walked up to the front. He cleared his throat and took a quick swipe at his eyes, which were damp with unshed tears.

"When I first met Johnny, I thought of him as some cocky kid that would never make it in the fire department, much less as a paramedic. I didn't see a need for paramedics at that time, but he was the one that helped me come to my senses. Later on, as Pastor Finley said, we became very good friends. Johnny would come over to my house many times on weekends and we'd spend time doing thigs together, such as fishing and hiking. When I first heard the call over the radio that Johnny and Roy were trapped, I was terrified. I'd seen too many times before what happened when firefighters were trapped inside a burning building. When the call came saying that they had gotten Roy out, but Johnny still hadn't been able to be freed, I knew that there was no chance of Johnny getting out of there alive. Well, like he did many times before, Johnny proved me worng. He was still alive when they finally got out. He even lived long enough to get to the hospital. When that happened, I figured that, like so many times before, it would be tough-and-go for a while, but he would eventually be okay and go back to work. Well, I was once again proven wrong. AS soon as O examined Johnny, I knew that there was no way he was going to survue. In fact, it was a miracle that he was still alive then. Johnny managed to hang on long enough to say goodbye to all those he cared about. He should have been dead before he was ever freed. There's no other explination for that than the fact that Johnny cared so much about his friends that he didn't want to die until he was able to see them all one last time. This is typical of John Gage. He always thought of others before himself. That is why it din't surprise me one bit when I found out that Johnny was trapped because he had been trying to save Roy's life. I know that as much as the DeSoto's will miss Johnny, they'll be eternally grateful ot him for saving Roy's life. Johnny, you were one of the best. Your skills will be sorely missed around Rampart and out in the field, but most of all we'll miss you. WE'll miss that famous grin, and even you little rants. Thank you for all that you did. You saved many lives, and you will not be easily forgotten."

Next, it was Joanne's turn to say something.

"When I first met Johnny, I'll admit I didn't care too much for him. I thougth he was immature and wasn't happy about him being my husband's partner, but as I got to know him, I realized that I was wrong. He wasn't immature, he was actually very mature for his age. The first time that Roy invited him over to the house, Johnny came to help me in the kitchen while Roy played with the kids. Whule we were in there, Johnny promised me that he wouldn't let anything happen to Roy. He promised me that as long aa he and Roy were partners, Roy would always come home to me and the kids. Over the years, he kept that promise. Many people thought Johnny was a klutz, or that he was accident-prone because he got hurt quite often. He was neither of those. Many of the times that Johnny go t hurt, he was hurt because he was protecting my husband. When I got the phone call from Dixie that Roy and Johnny had been injured, I somehow knew that Johnny would be the most seriously injured. I also knew that Johnny was hurt because he was trying to protect Roy. Johnny gave his life to keep his promise. That is a true friend. Johnny, I will be eternally grateful to you for what you did that day. You kept your promise to the very end. I miss you, Johnny."

Joanne, with tears streaming down her face, walked back to her seat, pulled Jenny unto her lap, and wrapped her arm around Chris. Together they cried for the friend and uncle that they'd lost. Roy could only look on from where he was sitting on the opposite side, amongst his friends and coworkers.

Pastor Finley stepped back up to the front. "Kristy and Mandy, Captain Hank Stanley's daughters, and Logan and Ross are would like to sing a song for you now."

The four children walked up to the front and gathered around the microphone. Logan, being the oldest at 18, was the spokesperson for the group.

"Uncle Johnny was special to all of us. No matter how busy or how tired he was, he always made time for us. We loved him and we're all going to miss him. Uncle Johnny, we'll never forgot what you did that day when you gave up your life for a friend. You were something special, and we're all going to miss. I promise you this, we will never let you be forgotten."

When he had finished, the piano player played the introduction to one of Johnny's favorite hymns, "It is Well" and the children started to sing.

_When peace like a river attendeth my way,_

_When sorrows like sea billows roll._

_Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,_

"_It is well, It is well, with my soul."_

_It is well (It is well),_

_With my soul (with my soul)._

_It is well, it is well, with my soul._

When they had finished, they stepped down from the platform and went back to their seats while Chet walked up to the front.

"My name is Chet Kelly. I worked with Johnny for nine years at Station 51 and I wouldn't trade one of those days for anything in the world. Johnny was, well, Johnny was something special. Those of you who know any of us guys at Station 51 well, know that Johnny was my "pigeon." See, I was "the phantom" who would always play tricks on Johnny. Throughout our nine years of working together, Johnny endured many water bombs, as well as many other tricks. Despite all of that, Johnny never got mad. Oh sure, he'd act like he was mad, but he never truly was. We were great friends despite all of that. We would go fishing and camping together, as well as hiking. Johnny was a true hero, both on and off the job. He would always stop and help people anytime he saw that there was a need. It could be anything from a little girl with a scraped knee to a car accident, to him they were equally important. Johnny was one of the best paramedics that ever lived, and he and Roy, made up the best paramedic team in the whole state, if not the whole country. There are many people still alive today because of Johnny. The paramedic program is really going to be hurting with Johnny gone. He was loved and respected as both a paramedic and a person. He's going to be greatly missed by so many people. I challenge you to look around you. This auditorium is packed with people whose lives Johnny touched in one or another. Johnny, I'm going to miss you. Station 51 won't be the same without you. You were a one-of-a-kind person, and no one will ever be able to replace you. That was something special that you did, giving your life so that Roy go home to Joanne and the kids. Goodbye, pigeon."

Chet, with tears streaming down his face, walked back to his seat. Cap, Roy, Mike, and Marco all patted him on the back, too chocked up themselves to say anything.

Pastor Finley went back up to the front. "The next two people that are going to come and speak are both doctors at Rampart General Hospital. They have both worked closely with Johnny for a number of years, and were good friends of his. Dr. Early, Dr. Morton, will you come now, please?"

Joe went up first. "I've known Johnny for close to 10 years now. When I first met him, he was only 18 years old, and had only been with the fire department for a few months. My first impression of him was much like most peoples, I would assume. I thought that he'd never make it as a firefighter, and that he was too young and tender to deal with everything that he'd see. I was wrong. Johnny turned out to be a great firefighter. When I heard that he wanted to become a paramedic, by that time I knew him well enough to know that he would be one of the best there was. I was right. Johnny made a great paramedic. He saved many lives throughout his career. He cared so much about people. The way that he died tells you that. He died saving the life of his best friend. He died doing what he loved, fighting fires and working as a paramedic. Remember the poem that Chris and Jenny read, "Remember Me"? That was a poem that Johnny had found and had stuck in an envelope of things to be read at his funeral. That poem tells how he wanted to be remembered. He wants us to remember all the happy times that we had with him, and all the good things that he did, rather than remember that he died and wishing him back here. Please, do him one last favor and remember him the way he'd want to be remembered. Johnny, this world isn't going ot be the same without your smile here to brighten things up. Everyone at Rampart is going to miss you. I promise that we'll always remember you, not just in death, but in life. Farewell, Johnny."

Mike Morton went up after Joe was finished. "Of all Johnny's coworkers, I've probably worked with him the least amount of time. When I first met Johnny, I was an intern at Rampart General Hospital who thought that I knew everything. I didn't like Johnny at first, partly because he was so cheerful and cocky all the time, and partly because he made me feel inferior, like I really didn't know anything. He didn't do it on purpose of course, that's just the way Johnny was. I must admit that I didn't always have the best bedside manner with him. We eventually got to be friends. I was never as close to him as Kel, Joe, or Dixie, but we were pretty good friends. Johnny taught me so much. He taught me that there was always something to learn, and that people don't care if you don't know everything, they admire you for what you do know. Johnny, I can never repay you for everything you taught me. You're going to be missed around here by everyone. Rest in peace, John."

Pastor Finley stood up. "Before the last person, Marco Lopez, comes, Chief McConikee has asked me if he could say a few words."

Chief McConikee stepped up to the front. "John Gage was a special type of firefighter. He didn't care how much danger he was in, he just cared about getting other out of danger. On the day of his death, Johnny demonstrated that for the last time by saving the life of Roy DeSoto, his partner and friend. That deed earned Johnny the Medal of Valor. The Medal of Valor is the highest honor that a firefighter can receive. It is awarded only to those firemen who gave their lives in the line of duty in an attempt to save another. Seeing as Johnny has no living relatives, I would like to present this medal to the crew of Station 51."

The chief walked over to where Hank sat with his crew and presented the medal to him. Hank stood up and took it, then shook the chief's hand. Quietly, so that only McConikee and his men could here, Hank whispered, "Thank you, Chief. You'll never know what this mean to me."

Chief McConikee returned to his seat, and Marco Lopez went up to the front.

"Johnny was _mi amigo_. He was an excellent firefighter, and one of the best paramedics there ever was. But more than that, he was a good friend. He cared about you, I mean really cared. Johnny was always there when you needed him. There were many times when I saw him put his life on the line in order to protect Cap, Roy, or one of the other guys. Johnny was a true hero. Most people's first question, when I tell them that I'm a firefighter, is, 'How is it that a firefighter can run into a burning building when everyone else is running out?' I think Johnny answered that question. Courage is the answer.* Johnny demonstrated true courage by throwing himself on top of Roy even though it meant almost certain death. Johnny, you will be missed,_ amigo. _It's not going to be the same around the station without you. Goodbye, _mi amigo_."

Pastor Finley went back up to the front. "Johnny was indeed a true hero. However, I believe that as Chris and Jenny DeSoto said in the poem, and as was repeated by almost everyone else, Johnny would not want to be remembered with tears. He'd want to be remembered for the good that he did."

It was now time for the procession to the cemetery. The pallbearers, Brice, Roy, Chet, Marco, Mike, and Dwyer, had loaded the casket onto the back of Engine 51, and everyone was in place for the journey. Mike would not be driving the engine, and Roy would not be driving the squad. Instead, the engineer from B-shift at 51 would be driving it, and Dwyer would be driving Squad 51. Although none of the members of Station 51's A-shift was happy about this, Headquarters had thought it best to have two firemen that weren't as close to Johnny driving.

Marco and Chet were hanging onto the back of the engine,. Hank was first in line behind the engine, with Roy and Mike side-by-side behind him. Behind them came the fire department's honor guard, bearing the American flag, the California state flag, and the fire department flag. Behind them were two firemen playing the bagpipes. Joanne, Chris and Jenny, along with Emily Stanley and her two girls, and Beth and her two boys came behind the bagpipers. The rest of Station 51's crew, those from B-shift and C-shift, came behind them, with Dixie, Kel, Joe, Mike, and all the rest following.

The procession slowly passed Station 51. It looked much different from usual, draped in black bunting, and the flag at half mast. It looked sad and depressing to everyone, but especially to the crew of Station 51. The sight reminded them that when they returned, one member of their crew wouldn't be there. As of yet, Headquarters hadn't found anyone to take Johnny's place, as McConikee had been able to stall the process, but they all knew that the chief couldn't keep it up to much longer. Sooner or later, they would find a replacement for Johnny.

Once they arrived at the cemetery, Roy and the other pallbearers unloaded the casket from the engine and set it down beside the open hole. They then joined their families in the crowd.

When Roy reached Joanne and the kids, Chris and Jenny clung to him. Jenny buried her tear-streaked face in her fathers shirt and cried, and Chris held tightly to his father's arm, which was wrapped around Jenny. Roy wrapped his free arm around Joanne in an effort to comfort her.

As a bugler played taps, Chet and Marco stepped up to the casket and began folding the American Flag that had been draped over it. When they were finished, Chet handed the flag to the chief, who walked over to where Captain Stanley stood with his family. As McConikee held the flag out to Hank, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Hank. I know how much he meant to you."

With tears in his eyes, Hank reached out and took the flag from the chief. "Thanks, Chief." He held the flag in his hands and gently stroked it.

Pastor Finley began to speak. "Although Johnny's time on this earth was short, he did a lot of good. He'll be sorely missed by his family and friends, and also by the Los Angles County Fire Department. Johnny, your actions will never be forgotten by anyone. John 15:3 says, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' You had that great love, Johnny, and you demonstrated it by laying down your life for Roy. You are a true hero, John."

As the funeral ended, those who had attended filed by his casket. Many of them placed flowers or notes on top of it. Once all the mourners had left, it was time for Johnny's friends to say their final goodbye to him. They gathered around the casket, and, one by one, said their goodbyes and left.

Hank went first. "John, you're going to be missed around the station, pal. It's not going to be easy, but we'll try to stick together. Goodbye, John."

Mike went next. "Well, Johnny, as usual, I don't have much to say, except for this. You were a great friend, and a wonderful firefighter/paramedic. I'm really going to miss you."

Next it was Marco's turn. "Station 51 just isn't going to be the same without you, Johnny. You're going to be missed by all of us, and I don't think anyone will ever be able to take your place. You were special, Johnny, and a great _amigo_. _Adios, mi amigo_.

"Well, Gage, this is it. It's time to say goodbye. I never thought this day would come, but it did. Johnny, I'm sorry for all the jokes and pranks I pulled on you. I know that you got aggravated at me sometimes. I'm going to have to find a new pigeon now, I guess. Don't worry, I'll take it easy on whoever that turns out to be. I'm going to miss you, Gage." Chet walked away with tears running down his face. Even though he never would have admitted it to Johnny, Chet really did care about him a lot.

Finally, it was Roy's turn. Joanne and the kids had already said their tearful goodbyes and were waiting for him outside. "Well, Junior, I guess this is it. It's time for me to say goodbye to you. I don't know how to say. I always knew that there was a chance that this day would come, but I never wanted to admit it. Now that it's here, I have to. I don't know how I can go on as a paramedic without you. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to stand having someone else riding in the squad with me, especially knowing that you'll never sit in the passenger seat of the squad again. We shared a special bond, Junior, and no one can ever take your place. I'm sure going to miss you. Goodbye, Johnny. Keep an eye out for me and the guys, would you? It's not going to be easy for us to move on, but I know that it's what you'd want. I miss you, Junior, and I'll never forget you."


	8. The Anniversary

A/N: This is the last chapter. I was having trouble coming up with ideas for the chapters, and coming up with enough stuff to put into the chapters, which is why my last two chapters have been so short. I think i'm going to go ahead and work on a sequel to my seventh heaven story and try to finish my MASH story. When those are done, I'm almost definitely going to amke a sequel to this story. It will cover the gap between this chapter and the last one. I hope you enjoyed the story! Please R & R!!!!

_Ten years later_

"Well, Johnny, it's hard to believe that it's been ten years since you've died. It hasn't been an easy seven years. So much has changed now, Johnny. You wouldn't believe how big Chris and Jenny are. They're not little kids, anymore, Junior. They're both adults now. Chris graduated from college last year, and Jenny will graduate next year. Guess what? Chris is engaged! It seems like just yesterday he was born, and now he's getting ready to get married. You'd like the girl a lot, Johnny. Her name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Lizzy. She's really sweet, and she reminds me a lot of Joanne when she was younger. She's beautiful, too. Chris picked a good irl, Johnny,. You'd be so proud of him. He just graduated from the Fire Academy, and he's going to start his paramedic training next week. He told me that he decided the day that you died that he wanted to be a firefighter. He's already started work as a firefighter, and guess who his captain is? It's Chester B. Kelly. He's turned out to be a pretty good captain. He's still a practical joker to some extent, but not merely as much as he was.

Jenny is very much looking forward to graduating next year and working under Dixie at Rampart. I know she'll make a good nurse. I wouldn't be surprised if she takes Dix's place someday. She has a steady boyfriend. His name is Nathan. He's a really good boy. He's a firefighter/paramedic. He works out of Marco's station, Station 14. From what I hear, he's a pretty good paramedic. He's a good boy. I really like him. I wouldn't be too surprised if he and Jenny got engaged before too long. It's hard to believe that both she and Chris are old enough to be thinking about marriage.

All of the guys are doing fine. Mike's been a captain now for about nine years, and I wouldn't be surprised if he got promoted to battalion chief here before too long. Chet's getting close to the five year mark in being a captain, abd he loves it. Not surprisingly, his station is the one with all the practical jokers. They all work really well together, though. Marco will have been a captain for six years next spring. He's a wonderful captain, Johnny. His men love him, and his station is considered one of the best in the county. Cap has been a chief for almost nine years. He loves it, even thought he doesn't get to see much action. I think that he's secretly glad for that. He's been slowing down recently, and although he won't admit it, I wouldn't be surprised if he retired soon.

Joanne's doing just fine. She's so happy now that Chris has graduated from college and is living at home again. It's going to be hard on her once both he and Jenny are married, but she'll get used to it. Who knows, maybe they'll start giving us grandchildren soon enough that Joanne doesn't havfe time to miss them.

As for me, well, I'm still having a hard time getting used to not working at a station, but I enjoy training paramedics at Rampart. It's been about eight years since the accident happened, and I still don't have the full use of my legs. I have to walk with at least one cane all the time, two on my bad days. I'm getting used to it, though, and I'm just counting my blessing that I wasn't paralyzed for life.

Dixie and Dr. Brackett are doing just fine. Their two kids, Daniel and Rebecca, or Becca, as everyone calls her, are seven and three now. Becca's the apple of her dady's eye. You wouldn't believe how much Brackett dotes on her.

Dr. Early was diagnosed with cancer just last week. Brackett was the one that found it. They say that he only has a year at the most to live. Everyone at Rampart was devastated when they found out. Even though it's been almost three years since he retired, he's still very much a part of that hospital. It's going to be hard when he dies.

Mike Morton is doing fine. Right now Brackett is training him to take his place as head of the ER. I know he'll do a good job when it's time to take over in a few years.

Well, I guess that just about covers everyone. I'm sure they'll all be by later to visit you as usual. We all still miss you a lot, Junior. Goodbye, and thank you."

Leaning heavily on both of his canes, Roy stood up and walked away from Johnny's grave.


End file.
